We need to remember a thing, Lockdown is not a vacation, lockdown is not a punishment, lockdown is not there to spread the negative vibes. We ought to do everything we do on a normal day, but from home. In fact when the lockdown was announced in the month of March in India, I decided I am going to use it exclusively for myself.
Myself, does not mean my family, does not mean my job, does not mean the society. Myself means its for me. I decided to do everything and anything which is going to give me self satisfaction. Which stipulates the purpose of my existence.But NOT at the cost of my duties and responsibilities.
Unlike most of my friends,who update on social platforms, I repudiated waking up late. In line to that I had to go to bed early. The day for me (myself, as I said earlier) ideally was ten hours. I prefer getting into my residential office by 9 AM whatsoever. Thanks to my wife and family for giving me the prerogative.
Being I am professor by profession, I would certainly have the web classes webinars and other office related meetings till 4 pm. I take a break at 1:30 and do couple of house chores (I took that from my wife as a responsibility towards the domestic contribution when there was no maid support). I take the lunch post that. Once my office time got over every day, I allotted 4pm to 7pm, which is essentially three good hours time for myself. I further sub-scheduled the time. I would read, for my interest, for an hour. I would write, being an author, for an hour and the other one I spent based on the day to day interest. I adhered to a self norm of saying a strict no to the office work, social media dawdling or movie watching in that three hours. Those are not time for self!
Being in the first week of July and the lockdown getting partial relaxation, I could proudly say I completed writing 1 fiction work which I worked for the past 18 months on collecting information. I read 2 books, one being an historical epic and the other being a biography. I also did a couple of good certification programs which are nowhere connected to my profession. These were over and above my job and other domestic responsibilities.
Lockdown taught me how to fix an Inverter, how to do small little electrical works, how to do a hair cut and also how to shape the beard on my own. I get surprised when some people say, they are getting into the mode of depression during the lockdown and some said they find it suffocating and claustrophobic.
I can proudly say, I did not feel the boredom even for a minute in the entire lockdown episode. I, at the same time, confess that It wasn't relaxing or trouble-free. That too living in an intense containment zone. However, treating the lockdown without empowering too much and looking at it as a regular day and making use of the travel time (Office going time) to self would certainly give us more positive vibes, self satisfaction and energy. I am a witness to it.
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