The seemingly endless coronavirus lockdown is testing the patience limits of everyone.
The momentum of sudden and utter change in our lives and being prisoners in our own homes have the potential to turn even the most patient person into a dejected and desperate one.
It is easier to become tempestuous during the long-stretched isolation period due to the same monotonous routine, day by day, month by month, seeing the same faces every day for more than a year, with no friends to sit and converse with and nowhere to go to.
It can drive anyone crazy.
Having being confined to the same place for so long and having no possibility of a release in the sight, it is only inevitable to have built an inside rage for the helpless state.
Lately, more and more people are dealing with anger more than usual. Their anger surfaces a little too quickly, for reasons that are not very convincing, and at things they used to like before.
Some say that they feel like they are just looking for a reason to vent out the rage they feel inside all the time.
Are you one of those people? Yes? Well, you can take solace in the fact that you’re not alone who’s having such thoughts.
In these uncertain and unfortunate times, it is normal for one to lose his temper. This anger is the result of constant fear, frustration, isolation, and the inability to do anything to counter the situation.
In this blog, I am going to express my thoughts about how to handle the anger and frustration of the lockdown period-
* Identify your anger triggers!
First, you need to understand the source of anger, which in this case is the frustration of long-stretched confinement at home caused by Covid lockdown and your helplessness over the entire situation.
Now, you need to identify the pattern of the situations when you feel most angry. Once you figure out these catalytic situations that trigger your anger, you need to restrain yourself from getting into such discussions, conversations, or arguments in the first place.
If the source of your anger is certain people, then you need to distance yourself from such people. However, if these certain people are your family members or worse, your loved ones, how, then, are you supposed to keep your distance from them?
Well, in that case, you need to slow down, you don’t want to argue with someone you so dearly love, or you would regret it later. So, relax your nerves and clear your mind. If needed, walk away from the argument rather than proving your point.
It would be better for you to adapt the lesson of ignorance. Even if you are right, you don’t need to prove it to others, you know it and that’s all that really matters.
Since now, you have learned why you get angry and how to deal with such matters, we will go ahead to discuss how to keep yourself from being ruled by anger in the first place.
* Don’t overthink about the problem!
You might have heard the paraphrase ‘Think about the solution, not the problem’. It is just the right time for all of us to stick to this proverb.
Thinking about the problem makes you cumbersome with deeper aspects of it, in fact, the more you think about it, the more hopeless you feel. On the contrary, if you give more thought to the solution, you will see the situation in a new light and from a different angle that will help you handle it accordingly.
In this light, first, you need to stop spending too much time watching the news channels.
We all very well know how the situation is worsening across the country, so watching the news for hours is only going to depress you further.
Secondly, you need to stay away from all kinds of rumors and fake information emphasizing the ill effects of the vaccine or predicting about the extending period of lockdown, etc.
* See the situation in a positive frame!
Yes, it is true that there’s a lot of happening in the world right now.
The whole affair of a widespread deadly virus was something beyond imagination for us all, much less possible, and all of a sudden, it became a normal part of our lives. The consequent lockdown imposed at the global scale to break the chain of virus afterward was a drastic step, after which life was never the same.
After staying indoors for more than a year with no physical contact with the outside world, it’s making all of us anxious.
You might be reaching that certain threshold level when you lose your cool and feel like “it’s enough, I can’t take it anymore”.
At that time, reanalyze the situation from a positive frame. Think that the situation could be worse. Think that at least you and your family are safe, that you have a job and get paid regularly and you don’t have to suffer financially in these unprecedented times.
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
Even in the most unfortunate circumstances, you may find comfort in little things. These things are the source of light that will motivate you to carry on.
This situation is not different. There’s a lot to worry about, but not everything is that bad. You have many little things to be glad about.
Take it as a fortunate opportunity, that you could never have had otherwise, to spend this much time close to your family.
* Add a fun factor to your routine!
To reduce the frustration level that you’re dealing with, you need to add some fun time to your routine.
Following the same routine day in and day out is very irritating because every day seems just the same.
Human beings are creatures of dynamic nature and prone to change. We are enthused by the constant urge to move, to do different things in different ways, to do anything. We don’t do very well in the confined situations where are unable to do anything. And we definitely don’t like to be stuck in the same place.
People can deal with any kind of fear and failure, but they can’t handle the constant state of boredom and frustration. It leads to depression and anxiety.
So, the first thing you need to do is to change your routine a little every day. In between all the office work and daily chores, you need to make time for fun.
A fun activity can de-stress you greatly and distracts your mind from troubling things.
It can be anything that makes you happy, from playing cards with your family to conducting a funny activity among the members, playing with the kids, or dancing randomly, etc.
“A laugh can brighten your mood like a ray of sunshine.”
In fact, you can do your work in ways that are fun. You don’t have to do your work in the same boring and conventional manner just because everyone does it that way. Innovate new ideas to do things in a more entertaining manner, and you will see that the results are comparatively more productive.
* Make time for yourself!
The most important thing you can do for yourself right now is to keep yourself calm, and for that to happen, you need to invest your time in things that make you happy.
It can be some alone time with yourself, a short walk, a cup of tea with a novel, some time for gardening, cooking, painting, sketching, or whatever your hobbies are that you have long past forgotten just because you didn’t have time.
Well, now you have got all the time you needed. Take time off the work to pursue your hobbies and find your peace in little things.
Final Thoughts:
Times are hard for all of us.
Keep in mind that you are not the only one here that feels this way, so venting out your anger on other troubled people are not going to help you. Be compassionate, understanding, and benevolent.
Remember that kindness will be the only sanctuary you would find amid all your anger and frustration.
Smile and make others smile as well!!😊😊