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In a country like Pakistan, you will figure out how seriously people take mental health during a lockdown. People don’t really think that MENTAL HEALTH is something that needs any taking care of, and I have personally experienced an invasion of personal and mental space by some of the most intelligent (I thought) minds. Cannot begin to tell the kind of stories people make up to let you know there is NOTHING wrong with what’s happening to your mental and physical health, and that this is all MADE UP. Trust me on this folks, its not. During the lockdown, some people aren’t able to go to their therapists, and there’s a lack of personal space in their lives, which is why they’re going through more anxiety and more depression. There are other problems people might be facing, such as domestic violence and what not.
In a country like Pakistan, you have to learn that house help will not always be available, and that you need to get used to doing things on your own. For starters, the main reason why people sent their maids back was (they think) that usually, these people don’t really take care of their hygiene, and people are right to a certain extent. The house help we have these days still meet their family members outside of the house (whilst observing social distancing) but they cannot BREATHE without their other family members. It’s really difficult to explain to them what’s happening in the world, which is why a lot of people gave up and sent their servants back home. Good move, we are getting annoyed of them now.
In a country like Pakistan, the crime rate and rape cases are going up. You won’t find any police after a specific time outside on the streets, and its generally unsafe to take your car out and go anywhere, even for medicine or to the hospitals. I pray that all the things unimaginable in a virus infested country don’t spring up this time around, because the poor generally take advantage of such situations and try their luck with robberies and thus, crime rates are bound to increase. Hope the security forces of this country keep people safe and sound in their homes, we have other things to worry about right now.
In a country like Pakistan, if you’re unwell, people will ask you not out of care, but out of curiosity if you’ve gotten the virus yet or not. Well, I’m not entirely sure if its just a Pakistan thing, but it has been happening a lot lately. We as a nation, thrive on DRAMA. We LOVE drama. We LOVE gossip. Sadly, we also love to find out who died of what problem, and spread it amongst others. This is a time when we’re supposed to stand with each other (not literally but figuratively) and we are, instead, turning against each other and making each other feel like shit. STOP IT. Help those who are unwell, tell them what medicine/fruit/food/juices are best for them.
In a country like Pakistan, people rely on faith more than protecting their own selves and being cautious. This is especially true for our elders and especially for our parents. Thank God for the news reports, otherwise our parents would’ve still be roaming out and about like always. They say ‘Allah will protect us’, which is true, but Allah also says protect yourselves first! We cannot just walk on a deserted road in Lahore/Karachi/Islamabad in the middle of the night during this pandemic and think Allah will protect me, when we ourselves are risking our lives. Think with your brains, everyone. Be careful while doing anything at all right now, I see people who are still running into each other at medical stores and grocery shops. Be wise.
In a country like Pakistan, people expect you to now do more housework if you’re a daughter in law, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a woman (basically) and if you don’t, you’re a disgrace. I cannot stress on this enough; it is like a death sentence to many. A lot of women these days are suffering because their working hours (at home only) have increased, and those who also have to continue their jobs on social media, well, may God be with you. I hope people realize that women need as much personal space mentally and physically as men do. It is high time we have a discussion on this.
In a country like Pakistan, you can lose your job just because you were in another city and the lockdown happened. So basically, I kind of lost a job in between this pandemic, because I had to come to another city. Now, I have to kind of do odd jobs till I go back to my hometown and do something about it, or maybe find another job. Usually, things like these happen in a country like Pakistan, because third world countries don’t have the same stability in economy like first world countries (DUH) and even they are having problems and laying people off. Life is hard work right now.
To top it all off, I had to celebrate my Wedding Anniversary and my Birthday at home, which was not bad I admit, but still I missed out on all the fun things I could’ve done with my wonderful husband if we could go out. Thankfully, he was amazing (as he always is) and got me a beautiful cake with cute little candles on top. God bless him, He’s already blessed me by giving me him!
In a country like Pakistan, you learn that most of the times, you will be on your own, and that you need to be strong enough to face the world on your own terms. In a country like Pakistan, you learn to survive the most difficult situations, and you also learn to self-love and self-heal yourself out of toxic environments and situations. Basically, in a country like Pakistan, you get stronger out of a situation like this pandemic. Covid 19, thankyou for the lessons.
All in all, I learnt that it is very important to take care of our family members and our loved ones throughout this journey, we never know who’s leaving when, and how much time (even) we have in this world. Love like there’s no tomorrow, live and be happy in every moment of life. Sending lots of positivity and blessings your way! May we all come out of this as better and kinder human beings, and have more understanding of other human beings around us.
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