Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic
(by Ms. Rahat Ilyas)
COVID-19 has disrupted our lives. Work and daily routine have become challenging.
With an atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety around this pandemic, these can cause stress, fear, and nervousness. Such feelings are normal, and human beings have God-given capabilities to cope with difficult times.
Even during normal times, we have so many fears in our lives, such as the fear of enclosed spaces, the fear of getting sick, the fear of failure, and the fear of death, which is at its peak during this pandemic.
It’s normal for people to experience such feelings right now, so it’s OK to have them.
As we are stuck in this horrific pandemic, it has become hard to move around normally without fear. No socializing, being scared of getting infected by the virus or being a carrier and endangering our family’s safety, no shopping, and most of all, the deteriorating economic situation, which may result in losing one’s job, are just some of the common triggers of fear.
The question is, how do we cope with these fears and anxiety-provoking thoughts or situations?
ISC-Lahore is playing its role to help its community, which includes all students, parents, and staff. Here, it’s an integral part of learning and practice not to give up, to accept the challenges and solve them, deal with difficulties successfully, and provide support to each other.
One of the important aspects of our school’s Mission Statement is to strengthen students’ civic, ethical, and moral values, while maintaining high standards of efficiency.
Ever since the pandemic started, ISC-Lahore has taken important measures not only to spread awareness about standard operating procedures (SOPs), but also to implement all important steps for everyone’s safety.
Children and teens may be more affected by the stress, anxiety, and fears caused by COVID-19. Take the time to talk calmly and reassure children about what is happening in a way that they can understand.
From the Psychology Department at ISC-Lahore, here are a few suggestions that can reduce your anxiety levels and help you use your valuable time in a productive way:
- Eat healthy meals and exercise regularly
- Allocate time for working, resting, and doing things you enjoy
- Take regular breaks from on-screen activities
If it’s helpful, the next step can be thinking and coming to a conclusion about:
- What you can and should do to comfort and help others
- What activities/practices are detrimental to your health and mental wellbeing
Written by: Ms. Rahat Ilyas, Head of the Psychology Department
