Dealing with relentless despair

I know, I am back to a post on COVID.

But I cannot help it, and nor can you.

It is all over the news, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, casual talk, and even worse – in houses close to you.

It is affecting people close to you. Taking some away…

What did we do to deserve this, one might say.

February 2020 seems like a different world right now.

And people are getting fedup. Of sitting at home once more, of masks, of sanitizers, of COVID in general.

You want to scream out…ENOUGH!!

Actually, it is enough.

It’s time to go that step further, and get rid of this malady that has disrupted our lives and in many cases, our sanity.

What do we do to get out of it? Frankly, I don’t know for sure, but there are some things that can help.

  1. Stay positive – which means, stay of the news. A lot of the hysteria is generated by 24/7 coverage of this, and it is tough to be positive and think good, when all you see is hospitals and oxygen and numbers. I don’t mean to say that one should be an ostrich with one’s head under the sand, but let’s not go to the other extreme either.
  2. Stay healthy – strengthen your lungs. Breathing exercises, prānāyāmā, relaxing Śavāsana, go back to the basics. Frankly, stay off the gym. And don’t exercise with a mask – that is just plain stupid and very very unhealthy.
  3. Eat right – A lot of citrus, vegetables, lesser meat, more prānic food.
  4. Celebrate – yes, you heard it right. Staying positive also means celebrating smaller victories – find things to smile about. Staying gloomy will not bring in more oxygen cylinders to the hospital nearby, but staying positive can sure help prevent one more from joining the line of unfortunate people.
  5. Pray – If you are (still) an atheist, then God help you. For the rest, rediscover God. The same power we almost forgot about when things were good. And no, it isn’t God who is doing this to you just to attract attention. Stop giving yourself so much undue importance. Let’s realize how small and vulnerable we are, and be humbled by the forces that we cannot understand.

Spend time with family. Speak to them. Hear them. It is in times like these when you should appreciate the smallest things in life, the smallest blessings, and make the most of them.

I am but a person who writes. It is you who has to go a step further, and implement.

Try it out.

And stay safe.

And know, that we will emerge stronger.

And hopefully, wiser as well.