Astro: The city that never sleeps has suddenly come to a standstill in the past few weeks of the lockdown.  Something none of us had ever imagined.  With all of us locked into our houses, there are many strange problems that have not just cropped up, but have also grown in magnitude.  With not much productive work to do and facing the same people every single day along with listening to more and more negative news on media during this period of lockdown, people are engulfed in a sense of confusion, frustration, loneliness, boredom and various insecurities and fears. As an outcome they end up quarrelling, fighting, arguing and sometimes even becoming violent.

With no other avenue to vent out the negative emotions, they break down on each other.  Small flaws that otherwise would get ignored, in these times get highlighted. Keeping a calm mind, is the most difficult of all tasks today. However, that is exactly what is primary right now. In order to keep your sanity in place, no matter how difficult it may seem, it is important to be aware of the self-talk that happens within. What is your mind talking to you during this time of uncertainty?  When you begin to control that conversation within, you will be able to control the environment outside. You will be able to control the outburst, the reactions and the consequences to them.  Violence in this time and age does not get anyone to a good place.  Instead, the understanding that you are not the only one going through this challenge, but the whole world is in your shoes right now, would be great consolation to your mind.  Dealing with your own emotions more logically and with mindfulness will enable you to control hurting others with your rage.

Breath…every time you experience a turmoil within…Breath.  Stay still for at least 15 mins and allow the emotion to clam down instead of spurring up and allowing the emotion to take control of you.  Observe who are you up against.  They are all your people.  The same people you once thought you didn’t have the time to spend with and today when you do, what revolution are you creating.  Beat the feeling of frustration with empathy, beat the feeling to anxiety with confidence, beat the feeling of confusion with the power of what you know you can do.  Live one day at a time.  Everyone is doing that.  One single day at a time.  When the day passes, thank God you are still alive and get through the day you are in.  During this period when Covid 19 stands to threaten human race and the lockdown has limited our abilities, we all need the power of healing and you alone can create a ripple effect.  So, the next time you have your rage taking over, know that you are destroying no one else but yourself.  Hence, to save yourself and the others around you from this destruction, take a step back, pause and use a more subtle technique to express and also soothe your nerves. Writing or even scribbling your thoughts makes a huge difference to your emotions. Expressing what you want to say on paper and then reading back what you’ve written sometimes gives you a perspective and enables you to then correct and tighten the loose ends to find solutions and resolutions.