By Jesvita Princy Quadras
Mangaluru, April 20, 2020: Almost two months of quarantine has been declared in India. Well, that should be quite an experience for us all.
It is not easy to stay home and do nothing, especially if you are a social person.
Secondly, it impacts us mentally, physically and emotionally. Yet, with the right motivation and direction, one could create something beautiful and enrich self.
In my case, I did not do much in the initial days of lockdown. I just lazed around, sleeping, watching television or browsing through Netflix. It was a kind of waste my time.
A few days later, my younger brother told me: “Don’t you think we are wasting way too much of our time when we could use it to do something constructive?”
His words made me realize that lockdown is an opportunity to build something out of the lockdown time, a gift from God.
I began brainstorming how I could spend my days in something more creative.
Once traveling, I had noticed at an airport, threads hanging in a shop with hearts stuck to it at a particular distance. I thought that it would be a brilliant idea for me to redecorate my room and make a similar craft on my dressing table.
I asked my mother to somehow purchase colored papers amid the lockdown shopping and I sat down and made craft. As easy as it sounds, to make it was easier.
Not only did I spend my time doing craft but utilized it to write stories. I created my blog called monsoonspeaks.wordpess.com and began publishing articles.
However, on a serious note, not only did I publish it on my blog but I sent my articles to different online media publishers. It felt good and I felt inspired to do more.
A trend on social media that I have noticed became quite popular—the famous Dalgona Coffee. I am not a person who goes to the kitchen to cook, but I tried and prepared the coffee. My brother who stands opposite to me loves cooking. He baked cake, made Alfredo pasta and so many yummy dishes.
Amid creating something creative, the Covid-19 hype kept building itself among the minds of people. The main reason for this was that the media kept reporting this issue 24×7.
This created tension in so many minds. It was mentally disturbing to many people leading to depression in some. It became even more after social media started spreading stories on how Coronavirus could be cured.
Do we believe in all of it? Did we allow media to overpower our ability as rational thinkers? A question we must all answer to ourselves. The media always has an upper hand. Wait. Does it have an upper hand or do we let it have the upper hand?
Anyway, the hype hit the commoners to such an extent that depression, isolation, loneliness, and anxiety grew stronger.
Our college took an initiative and created a toll-free number for all those feeling mentally disturbed and alone. I volunteered as a member to help those people by talking to them over the phone. My initiative to help people overcome their anxiety made me feel more responsible.
We have been sentenced for a lockdown, but our minds are free. Our hands are free. Our talents are free. Our ability to do something creative is free. They have not been tied up yet. They have not been labeled to stay in lockdown. So why tie them up?
Let it be free. Let us make the best use of the time given to us to create something beautiful, something refined, and something out of the box.
After my initial lazy days, I have made the best use of the time given to me. I tried to be a change maker.
I have turned this lockdown into the freedom of my mind.
[Jesvita Princy Quadras is a former YCS YSM national coordinator, national president (2016-2019), and a member of international youth advisory body Vatican. She lives in Mangaluru.]