Anuvab Pal and Sonali Gupta tell how to deal with the new normal, burnouts and Whatsapp groups

While everyone has their own way of dealing with the quarantine, it is always helpful to get some experts to weigh in. For the latest edition of Indulge Time Pass, author and journalist Kaveree Bamzai hosts comedian Anuvab Pal and clinical psychologist Sonali Gupta on a Zoom call to discuss helpful ways to navigate our mental health during the lockdown. Both Pal and Gupta reveal that they find it challenging to adapt to new norms of social behaviour. “I think we’re the most anxious about this timeline, no one knows when it’s ending. Our anxiety is about not having control. I have clients who will go down to their cars, move their cars a little and pause. People have massive insomnia and constant panic attacks. For the first time in 14 years there’s no train passing near my home, I don’t know how I will react when it resumes again!” Gupta remarks.Both experts agree that the lockdown has shed a lot of light upon gender roles and how anxiety affects all sexes. “I know so many people who regret not buying a dishwasher because there’s much more work now, the argument over gender roles is really interesting. Most men are not in touch with their feelings; they have never been home for so long, surrounded by kids constantly, they need to articulate it. For working women the burnout is massive. They are anxious about whether they should articulate their issues. For people who are losing their jobs, men especially, there is provider anxiety, which is why they need to get in touch with their feelings,” Gupta informs.