Covid pandemic taught me the importance of resilience and facing fears

Campus Voice is an initiative by ThePrint where young Indians get an opportunity to express their opinions on a prevalent issue.

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It has been a year since I came back from hostel. It has been a year since I have been locked in my house. It has been a year since I have been trying to find something new every day to give me hope.

Every single person across the world is going through a tough time that none of us have experienced before. Psychological issues, including depression, are common these days. Many people I know have these issues and some are taking medical assistance while others are struggling.

I was no different. I was initially hoping to go back to university at some point before my course finishes in June 2021. I was living for months with just that hope. But later I understood that, they will not call us back.

I tried to adjust with reality several times in many ways. But it was very hard for me to handle it. And one day I even broke down in front of my family.

Since we could not step out of the house, I wished to understand the reality I was inhabiting. But it was difficult to concentrate on what I was doing and I ended up crying most days. My sleep was also delayed.

It was then I realised that there is a need to be resilient. I was searching for ways to get back to normal and for that I tried many things and some worked. And I wish to share some of them there.

Keeping myself engaged helped to cope with pandemic

Engaging myself was the first and foremost thing I tried. I initially depended on my phone to engage myself. I watched movies and listened to music and this helped me a lot but only for a while.

After this, I began occupying myself with something new. I started cooking, farming and reading books, which were all new to me.

Later, when the restrictions eased a little, I joined driving classes and learned driving. This gave me new hope.

I also began enjoying all the little things around us. For instance, I loved spending evenings on my terrace with the sunset, which was beautiful and bright.

I started capturing lots of photographs, which I was never interested in earlier.

I also spent a lot of time with my family. Since my parents were always busy, I tried to believe that this time was a gift that I had never gotten before in my life.

We tried having food from different places than from the same dinner table. My father and I tried making new things, including cement pots for our house plants.

I also started discussing politics with my parents and siblings, which I majorly missed during my time in university.

Gradually, I started getting better. Since I was occupied and engaged, I didn’t think too much, which reduced my frustration. I could concentrate on what I was doing.

I couldn’t completely avoid my problems but I could cope with them. I was sad that I couldn’t return to my university but was okay with the time spent at home.

I have understood that resilience is something that all of us should train ourselves in. There is a need to be resilient and we should learn to overcome hard times.

Nihala Jabeen is a student of University of Hyderabad.