RAPPORT CHANGER PANDEMIC

 

               RAPPORT CHANGER PANDEMIC

 

Envisage September 2019. Could you have imagined staying at home for so long as we are doing today? Schools, markets, offices shut down. No air, road, or rail traffic. Would you have believed in maintaining social distancing, wearing masks while stepping out? At the beginning of the pandemic, everything seemed devastating, mind-boggling, and a nightmare. Slowly everyone started getting used to the new normal.

Pandemic has made us pause and rethink our priorities, particularly in relationships. It is an erudition. Any disturbance, isolation due to the crisis is preparing us to regulate and re-evaluate our lives to decipher which habit and relationships we want to embrace and which we want to abandon. Our resilience, optimism, and mindfulness will aid us in getting through this pandemic.

This exceptional social occurrence has had significant ramifications on our relations. Crisis experts maintain that in pandemic times, society gets exposed and it tears open the fabric of familiarity to divulge a new world. Relationships transform due to our existing situation. Social relations will improve or get worse is a question as we are social beings, and we need to meet people and communicate. Keep the channel of communication open with everyone around you, a prerequisite for a healthy living. Lockdown has either strengthened the families or has lead to stress and agony. The bond of the family and the individual strength plays a crucial role in this aspect. Families with a strong bond will emerge stronger. On the other hand, families with weaker bonds will disintegrate, resulting in conflict and abuse.

The pandemic has given rise to fear of disastrous possibilities. This haziness is scary with the uncertainty of the future. Meditation clears our cobwebs and comes to our aid in dealing with the stress. Healthy eating and exercise are equally important.

There is a sense of gratitude amongst people who have means of sustenance in these difficult times, are helping the needy in whatever ways they can.  Pandemic has given rise to a sense of community like never before. How people are going all out to help the needy is beyond imagination.

Working from home, online classes is the new normal. Most people have learned and adjusted to be at home with everyone 24/7 for long periods.

We are exploring our passions, prioritizing our dreams, goals, and health. Learning new hobbies or reviving old ones, spending quality time with the family playing board games, painting, etc. It is making us realize our capabilities and fulfill long lost aspirations.

The elderly who are staying alone have expanded their horizons. They have learned to connect with their friends and family through technology.

It is difficult for children to be in this time on online studying and interacting with friends and school virtually. It is the parent’s job to make it easier for them. Children are resilient and are wired to cope. The positive is that we can spend quality time with them.  I enjoy my daily cup of green tea with my teenage daughter  during a break in online classes. I feel we are connecting better and are enriching the connection.

We need to be connected with our core values and learn that it is okay to be disappointed. It is a litmus test; we will lose some relationships and gain some. Some will get bogged down with the stress. If they are worth keeping, they will come around. We have built good relationships with our neighbors and rekindled relationships with school mates. At times you become friends in extraordinary circumstances with the most unexpected people. For many, the pandemic has led to new bonds of friendship.

 It is a learning opportunity. We have to build our resilience and emerge tougher. We should be optimistic and remember better times will follow.