A woman walks past a graffiti, on a street, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai, India, April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
Jobs, careers, and the added anxiety of running a household has proven to be burdensome. This has impacted the mental health of thousands of people.
After two long years, it seems Maharashtra is now emerging out of the clutches of Corona. The new cases of Corona have sharply fallen down and beds in hospitals are vacant. While these cases may seem to be dwindling the debris it has left is too burdensome and dangerous for human life. People were forced to remain confined in their homes due to the fear of Covid-19 infections and now it seems ‘anxieties’ they have got in bargain. Despite having no disease, there have been many cases of people living under constant anxiety and looking worried for nothing.
From the first wave of Corona, people had to remain confined to their homes and this took a heavy toll on their mental wellbeing. Keeping this in mind, Maharashtra government and the Government Psychiatrist Association had started a helpline with the help of some other organisations. The specialists, doctors and experts of the state were running this helpline. This helpline has received more than 2.5 lakh calls in the last two years.
People who were supposed to be out on work were forced to remain indoors have impacted the mental health of thousands of people. Lack of job security has made their struggle more difficult and such people are ‘somehow pulling on’. They are afraid of taking any big jump thinking if something happens to them, what will happen to their family. This is the single biggest fear sitting heavily on their minds. So now they have started ‘adjusting’ themselves to the changed situation.
This pandemic has also not spared the housewives who were never out on jobs. Their mental health has also been affected. Now they have to run the household on a reduced income. They think twice before making any new purchases or even postpone it. They are worried about the job of their husbands and the education of their children. So they are too badly stressed and this is taking a heavy toll on their health. Some noticeable changes have occurred in their nature like they get easily irritated and they are suffering from many new diseases.
Children and elders also suffer from ‘anxiety’
Children and elders also show the side effects of Corona. Especially children who study in higher classes are suffering from anxiety about their career. They are sandwiched between online and offline classes. In such scenarios, they are worried about their success in competitive examinations. The mental conditions of elders are such that now they are afraid of coming out of their houses. During the lockdown they became more active on Social Media and were aware of the worrisome news floating there about the Corona pandemic and this has created fear in them. Fearing some more trouble in the future, they are now more careful in keeping securely whatever savings they have.
