THE FLIP SIDE OF REMOTE LIFESTYLE: BURNOUT

THE REMOTE LIFESTYLE GUARDED US AGAINST THE RAGING VIRUS OUTSIDE, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT THE INEVITABLE IMPACT THIS HAS ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH.

- Mansi Malhotra

It has been over a year since the pandemic has been gnawing at the human population. The unprecedented calamity has altered our lives in ways no one could have imagined. The looming fear of succumbing to the virus and its transmission to our loved ones has coerced a completely bizarre lifestyle for ‘social’ beings.

The pandemic pushed our lives into the confined spaces of our homes. When schools, colleges, and work became a click away, it gave us a chance to do everything, which we had been procrastinating for months now, wishing for a break from the regular hustle. Most of us saw the silver lining in these catastrophic times and read those books sitting on the bookshelf or learned to cook, paint, take up gardening and everything which otherwise failed to make it to our schedule. We competed with ourselves.

While how tempting the idea of having all the time in the world sounds, we forget we are actually surviving a pandemic. The remote lifestyle provided us with the privilege to be safe, while the distinction between ‘professional life’ and ‘personal life’ collapsed. This collapse when clubbed with anxiety, and lost human-tohuman interaction might have an unhealthy impact on our mind and body. The constant need to be productive comes at the cost of mental exhaustion—better termed as burnout. Unfortunately, there persists a considerable amount of ignorance around mental health, and ignorance always is not a bliss.