The case of my COVID nirvana

"Three mantras have helped guide my actions," Krishnan Subramanian, aka Subu, chief strategy officer for TBWA\India.

Much has been written about the wars and unseen enemies. There is the ticker tape at the bottom right of almost every screen. It keeps creeping up, slowly and then in intermittent bursts. It’s almost as if it is telling that there is no sense to decipher here.

Pundits and influencers are jumping in. Doctors and scientists are working (I suspect!). Lay people are distracted with their own suffering.

Scary times, and everyone is overzealous to take part. They are writing about fear or hope or ways to cope. Some are personal, others are statistical. Most are regurgitating what is already known, with a flavour of their own industry.

So, how does one find a narrative within all this cacophony? How can one silence the shrill incessant noise of the always-on digital correspondent?

In these times, here are the three mantras that have helped guide my actions.

First, never take more than you can give. Second, worry only about things in your circle of influence, and not those in your circle of worry. Third, embrace the serenity of routine action and avoid the roller coaster of extreme emotion.

In the best of times, living up to these three mantras are a tough act. COVID stress make them even more challenging to follow.

However, the quiet environment and the forced downtime helps. You imagine the grand interconnectedness of it all. You submit to the minuscule nature of your own frail self. And you laugh at the pre-COVID times when you had the constant stress to 'becoming' somebody else.

You could think that these are philosophical delusions of an idealist. That is why, in this age of the convenience economy, I have found a more pragmatic way of attaining COVID nirvana.

I call it the lockdown resolutions for COVID nirvana.

I have categorised them into physical, emotional, social and financial resolutions. Why these four, one may ask. This is because I believe that these are the four basic dimensions of modern wellness.

There are many papers that argue for seven or eight dimensions of wellness. These include aspects like spiritual and environmental dimensions. But, beyond the four that I have included, I believe that the others are not fundamental to the individual’s health. You could choose to go with the eight dimensions and make up a resolution model of your own.

Here is my first resolution for COVID nirvana. It comes from a lockdown realisation that sleep is far more important than exercise. (Do I hear many of my Gen Z friends clapping in approval?) But good sleep needs screen detox. So, I have decided to switch off all my screens at least 30 minutes before I hit the sack.

Waking up well is just as important as sleeping well. Having slept alone in the quarantine, my second realisation is that there is no ‘right side of the bed’ after all. All sides are all right, as long as you think so. This leads me to my second resolution. In those early moments of wakefulness every morning, I count my previous day’s gratitude entries.

(If you have not yet heard of gratitude journaling, you have been living under a rock. It is proven to be a key determinant of positive psychology and your personal happiness.)

As someone pointed out, social distancing is about practising physical distancing. I do not have to become a social outcast in these times. If at all, in these times, I need to be even more connected. In this spirit, my third resolution is to call one friend or acquaintance, at random, sometime during the day and enquire about their welfare.

The first three resolutions were about attending to myself and my friends. But it would be very selfish if I do not take care of those who take care of me. Much has been written about helping people dependent on us by continuing to pay their wages. But that is not enough. I have made a resolution to share my little dietary indulgences with them. Beyond that, I enquire about their family and their own well-being. And in case they need it, I provide whatever help I can.

So, there it is. My four lockdown resolutions for COVID nirvana. Lock down your screen for a good night’s sleep. Lock down the things that you are grateful for every morning. Lock down on reaching as many friends and family as you can. And lock down on caring for the people who otherwise take care of you.

It makes the COVID lockdown feel puny and insignificant in comparison. Importantly, it makes you feel like you matter. Your existence matters. And you are making a real difference, however small it may be.

As you get closer to COVID nirvana, you realise that it’s high time to unleash the humanity virus within us.

The author of this article, Krishnan Subramanian, aka Subu is the chief strategy officer for TBWA\India.