![\"\"](\"http:\/\/the-edict.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/edict-mental-health-png.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nA WhatsApp notification reminds me that I haven\u2019t been paying attention to the last 17 minutes of class. \u201cI\u2019ll have to check the recording,\u201d I think, adding to my mental list of tasks I am yet to ever exhaust. With a weary vision and an aching head, I gloss over the word document that\u2019s been open since morning. \u201cWas \u2018identity\u2019 even the right word to use here?\u201d I ponder after the Moodle bar had turned red with the notification, \u2018submitted 46 seconds late\u2019. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s the lack of choice, of control. It could be real, it could be perceived, it\u2019s both,\u201d explains Dr. Arvinder, discussing the transformation in university experiences that the pandemic has created with it. While a lot of us now identify the virtual classroom as a stressful space, it is essential to recognize the context that forced us here. Online learning, prior to these past months, existed as a rich resource that one could tap into, transporting students to areas of interest that weren\u2019t available otherwise. While this remains so, the difficulty presently associated with classes arises with the sudden shift to a system that students were neither well-versed with nor had the time to do so comfortably. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It was in the mid-term break in March that students headed home only to watch the entire Ashokan framework shift online in a week or so. Fast forward a few months and spring semester has passed with first years missing out on-campus happenings. Adding onto that, many from other batches are stuck in an internal conflict\u2014the physical environment they are present in and the constructed haven in Ashoka, where they would like to be in. Amidst the lack of connection, the fear of uncertainty, and feelings of intense inadequacy, Dr Arvinder describes how different groups of students are experiencing the pandemic in varied ways. From some facing connectivity issues and a lack of privacy at home to others having to worry over academic decision-making, the circumstances become worse when students have no access to a thriving culture of interactions, even if it were simply having Maggi together in the pantry at 2 am. On the spectrum of well-being, many with mild anxiety or depression have moved to moderate or severe levels\u2014even worse is the situation of ones who cannot refer to resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA whole lot of problems were coming in and the helpline just helped them vent it.\u201d, she answered when asked about resources available specifically within Ashoka. With the onset of the new semester, the ACWB counsellors-led helpline running throughout the week soon became an in-between space for students to be heard. When the safety of the students and counsellors became paramount, sessions shifted to Google Meet with a larger range of timings for schedules to match from both ends. Despite how daunting it may seem to avail such a resource, these sessions\u2014accessible through the ACWB portal, email or even a session booked by a friend on your behalf\u2014aim to create a space where one can talk, be it about one\u2019s daily stressors or the traumatic experiences the year has given rise to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the wake of stress turning into distress, triggers rising, and emotional dysfunction materializing in one\u2019s learning, Dr Arvinder emphasizes on how taking care of one\u2019s well-being is a \u201cdaily business\u201d. With everyone constantly striving to be productive in a competitive environment, it becomes easy to compromise on good mental health and deviate from the balance between work and self-care. \u201cIt\u2019s as if you\u2019re driving a car at full speed, notice the fuel meter at E, and despite seeing a gas station, you pass right by it because you don\u2019t have the time. You could be the best driver with the best car and the best brakes and you still wouldn\u2019t be able to reach where you want to be,\u201d she explains. While it may seem fitting to operate in crisis mode given the continuous deadlines, it is vital to understand that prioritizing what\u2019s important over what\u2019s urgent is better in the long run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although self-care might seem like an additional task to be crossed out of your to-do list, it lies in the smallest and simplest of actions. Sleep, food, and routine, as Dr Arvinder puts it, are the few, but essential actions in your control that give the much-needed energy to carry on. When the brain\u2019s hungry or sleep-deprived and you\u2019re running on irritability, general disinterest, and low concentration, it helps to take a few minutes to kick up the adrenaline and dopamine by busting a few moves to happy tunes in the privacy of your room. It doesn\u2019t have to be the same thing every day, she adds, suggesting that methods as simple as holding a color pencil and engaging in free-hand drawing could help one focus better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, as final\u2019s week approaches, acknowledge when the fuel meter\u2019s running low, call up a friend and talk about that funny Zoom chat comment that made your day, and the moment you wake up tomorrow morning, take just two minutes to stretch out the weekly blues. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Nishka Mishra, UG 22 Illustration: By Sadhvi Dash, UG 22 A WhatsApp notification reminds me that I haven\u2019t been paying attention to the last 17 minutes of class. \u201cI\u2019ll have to check the recording,\u201d I think, adding to my mental list of tasks I am yet to ever exhaust. With a weary vision and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[27,141],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4256"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4256"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4259,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4256\/revisions\/4259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/edictarchive.the-edict.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}