Lockdown helped me think right & transformed me!
Tuesday, 24/3/2020 is a date that we will all remember. Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi announced a lockdown for India’s 1.3 billion people, warning that “many families will be destroyed forever,” if we did not make social distancing a priority.
This did come as a shock to me just as it did to many others just like me.
There were a zillion thoughts running through my mind just as he was watching him speak –
“Will my business become non-operational?”, “How will I pay my workers?”, “How will I pay rent for my store?”, “Will this affect my husband’s work?”, “How will my son’s school operate?”, etc.
However, I have been in lockdown for over 40 days as I sit down to write this. These 40 days have made me discover so many things about myself that I had never explored. I am a transformed version of the original me. And I feel lockdown helped me think right. I like the new Riddhi a lot better.
Top 5 Things That Social Distancing Made Me Realise –
I Can Now Cook More Than 6 Cuisines
I tried my hands at cooking different cuisines and to my surprise all of it turned out to be amazing. I have realised that cooking isn’t too difficult and that I am good at it.
Lockdown Brought Me Closer To My Family
My husband usually works for long hours and we just got to see each other for an hour or so after work. Baby Veer saw him only in the morning for about an hour. However, now we’ve been spending a lot of time together as a family, eating meals together and playing board games. I am so glad that Veer is getting to be with both of us and is growing in a nurturing family environment.
More Focus On Health and Hygiene
We have completely stopped ordering in. All the meals are prepared at home with fresh vegetables. This is really making me feel good. I am also being able to spend more time on self care and exercise. Life has slowed down for sure but the quality of life has really gone up.
Lockdown Helped Me Realise That I was Spending A lot of Time Being Unproductive
I was always under the impression that I am working very hard and that I am being very productive. However, the lockdown made me realise that I was simply working hard and wasn’t being productive at all. During the lockdown I have taken up a few courses that I never knew existed. I am writing my goals and learning new things every single day. I feel so much better and genuinely productive now.
Change in My Mindset
The lockdown and social isolation made me realise what truly matters. Health, family, skills and time. We tend to put more value on things that cost us and can be easily replaced. More often than not, we overlook the things that truly add value to our lives and don’t cost us anything. The lockdown has helped me prioritise the more important things and live life inside out rather than outside in.
I don’t want to follow the herd mentality, I don’t think that brands define who I am and I don’t think that missing an event is a big deal anymore. It’s difficult to admit but I did think like this just a few days back. We are so busy running around that we miss out on who we really are and what truly defines our identity.
I now know that the expensive bags, shoes, make up, clothes are not important. We should not get consumed by these things and instead live a simple life and invest in things that helps us to grow. Things that appreciate in value rather than depreciate with time. Things that will remain with us and encourage us to live a calm, cheerful life.
The lockdown has helped me identify a new version of me and I don’t think I want to go back to being the same Riddhi that I used to be.
Conclusion
I am no longer worried about my business, my child going to school and making a lot of money. I am only living life one moment at a time and being grateful for the blessing of good health and a beautiful family to wake up to. And So I feel lockdown helped me think right & transformed me into the New ME that I am!