Covid 19 and Priorities of Life - Dr. Mowadat Rana Professor of Psychiatry.

In modern societies Humans are trained to believe that time spent away from work is time lost or wasted. While this approach is best for machines Nature’s wisdom is to divide time into a state of reflection and preparation followed by that of action or work. Covid 19 provides an opportunity to rediscover this wisdom of nature in our lives. Let us divide our lives into the BEING mode and a DOING mode. The being mode spent in a reflective and an inward looking state was employed by great thinkers and philosophers towards creativity, solving riddles and social issues issues. We in Covid times can spare an hour or so daily from our lives to dedicate to this being mode. A relaxed quiet setting where we transiently cut ourselves off the mundane stimuli of our environment can provide an opportunity for us to take this dip into an inner world of calm and peace. Steps include induced meditation and physical relaxation through closed eyes and deep breathing. This is followed by revisiting our negative emotions of anger, vengeance, guilt, shame, paranoia, lust, greed, and visualisation of those causing these emotions. Next phase is to replace these emotions through process of empathy with forgiveness, love, nurturance and positivity. The next phase is a state of gratitude in which one spends time reflecting on all that he has been blessed with or successfully achieved. In this we take away our emphasis from what we failed in or could not achieve. While still in the Being State we exercise Mindfulness. Here the focus is on here and now and taking out maximum pleasure from this moment. In the Doing Mode in Covid times, we can reconnect to our school teachers, our relations we have long forgotten, and friends that we have not been in touch with since long. This is possible through internet. When reaching out offer nurturance, love, support and appreciation in exchange and in recognition of the good that they have done in your life ( no matter how little). Last but not the least focus on nurturance and love for your own self. Do things that give you peace, calm and pleasure. Reach out to yourself to heal yourself of pain and anguish and the bruises that life has caused. Do not count this act of kindness to self as ‘selfishness’ or narcissistic. Covid times also provide you with a chance to start an activity or work that you always wanted to do but you couldn’t because it was not productive or profitable. This work of inner calling is the best use of the time that Covid 19 lockdowns or work from home has saved for you. Nurture hope and look forward to post Covid-19 times filled with opportunity and growth.