The quarantine has changed the status-quo of life as we once knew it, turning our homes into spaces of confinement. With daily routines altered, physical activity cut down, offline recreation and socialization out of the picture, there is a lot that we’ve lost on account of this quarantine. A lot of us miss what we had going for us as we grapple with the uncertainty of what the future holds.
Staying at home against one’s will can make one feel frustrated, overwhelmed and helpless. However, for people who suffer from social anxiety, physical disability, and mental illness, this is an everyday experience.
31-year-old Swathi Gadepalli lives with motor sensory neuropathy and has been using a wheelchair for 18 years. From where she stands, the quarantine has made other people understand what it is like to be in her shoes. With access to online classes, she finds herself at a level playing field with other people.
While the quarantine is tough on many, some of us are finding life much easier to cope with. There is scope to rest during the day time. One has more space to do the things they always wanted to do but couldn’t. The many expectations and pressures of routine life were always in the way.
For those of us who struggle with social anxiety, we tend to feel overwhelmed and overstimulated around people. Even if we appear calm externally, it is very hard to feel contained and regulated internally. The cutting down of stressful social interaction has given us the much needed bandwidth to focus more on our internal energies.
The society we live in is an ableist one. According to Talila A. Lewis, an intersectional community lawyer and consultant, “Ableism is a system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence, excellence and productivity.” Those in decision making positions don’t seem to consider the needs of those with disabilities into account.
An ableist society determines the worth of the person based on how productive the person can be. Ableism is intrinsically discriminatory and oppressive in nature. Systems such as capitalism, colonialism and others that promote supremacy of a select group of people over others. Ableism manifests itself in infrastructure based discrimination, employment opportunities, language, lack of representation in mainstream media and more. For example, students who are persons with disability having to study and socially interact at the same pace as everyone else, or buildings with only stairs and no ramps or elevators to factor for wheelchair users.
Some of the difficulties faced by persons with disability include accessibility and inclusivity. Swathi has always wanted to engage in yoga, meditation, and spirituality. Before online classes became the norm, she felt scared and like the odd one out in a room. Now she finds that the whole wide world of experiences is available to her online. Prior to the quarantine, meetings that happened in the office space did not include Swathi. Now with meetings switching online, she is a part of them, and that in itself feels like a privilege – to be included.
For individuals struggling with mental health conditions, the pre-lockdown world looked like a hostile and chaotic mess. The quality of air that we breathe, the pollution and impact on her health used to make 34-year Sofie (name changed) anxious. She says, “(post the lockdown…) I don’t have to deal with pollution, dirt, loud sounds and people (people spitting, people acting unruly) among other things.” Pollution and loud sounds trigger migraines. Noise makes her thoughts feel foggy, making it difficult to concentrate or think to her full potential. The apathy of people who spit in public spaces, which leads to the spread of diseases makes her feel angry, disgusted and helpless. She finds the outside world hostile to her existence, one that she feels the need to protect herself from.
With classes being moved online, work from home now being a norm, and even recreational activities being moved online, individuals with physical disability are angry that such measures were not put in place earlier. For Swathi, the quarantine makes her feel more normal like everyone else. Her experience has been one where she has felt not thought about by the system.
Similarly, when some individuals demanded work from home, the option to work part-time, and flexible work hours, their appeals were not welcome. Very few organizations offered such facilities. Ableism and capitalism once again are at play here. With the lockdown, work from home is increasingly becoming a norm. It looks like in the new normal, people will continue to work online. What was once justified as not feasible because – employees will slack, or if one person asks for it; then everyone will – is now perceived as necessary to keep the engine of the economy running. Likewise, part time work and flexible hours mean lesser cost of labour. Hence, what would impact the economy adversely is now seen necessary to keep the economy running.
The purpose of presenting an alternative perspective of the quarantine is not to by any means make light of it. The distress that people with chronic physical and mental illnesses faced before the quarantine still remains the same. In many cases it is even worse. The healthcare systems are undergoing unimaginable stress and this has affected people who depend on medication.
Karishma Makhija who experiences anxiety and depression reports that the only thing that has become easier for her is not having to travel to work. However, most concerns remain the same or are worse. Things such as rent, chores, lack of support systems and worry about parents are constant worries and stressors. She says that though many are experiencing economic hardships, there is no relief on rent and other expenses.
Karishma lives on her own, and manages all of her cooking, groceries, and housekeeping by herself. In addition to work and maintaining physical health, managing everything on her own without any social support is very tough. She is also extremely worried about the health of her parents in addition to all her other difficulties.
None of us know what the new “normal” looks once the lockdown opens up. Living in the Covid-era is a precarious experience. We hope for social systems such as the state, economy, education and more to be more inclusive in their conversations and policies.
That said, there is also hope as a sense of community has fostered between individuals struggling with social anxiety, physical disability and mental illness. There is scope to communicate about their experiences and they feel validated about the struggles they go through. People living with anxiety are now living in a world where experiencing anxiety is being considered a normal response. There are so many more conversations about mental health, fostering a feeling of not being the only one experiencing this. And there are so many resources, now available online and hence are more accessible. With so many people subjectively experiencing what a lockdown means to them, there’s also a sense of ‘We’re all in this together.’
By Insiya D’Souza
References:
https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/understanding-and-challenging-ableism.pdf