“My family keeps telling me not to step out for my walks; not to meet Sharma ji next door; not to do this and not to do that. Next they will tell me not to breathe air!!! I know they are worried about me but all this makes me angry just because I am helpless about it all. I know what they are saying is the truth but the entire helplessness of the situation and me not being able to do anything about it makes me angry from inside. I feel restless, irritable and want to scream at the world. I didn’t cause COVID but why am I not allowed to live the way I want to at the fag end of my life. Will I die with the memories of lockdown and COVID scare?”said Brijesh while talking to a therapist. 

 Senior citizens are not just worried about their health and the physical and emotional turmoil due to the pandemic condition but also about the unfulfillment of their wishes. They feel that the world is not being fair to them; they didn’t create the pandemic then why are they the ones to suffer it the most? They feel angry and helpless at their own inability to do anything and angry at the world for the pandemic, for being the cause of all this misery. They accept that their anger is irrational but they are unable to deal with it.

They get nightmares of their deaths, scared about not meeting their family members and angry with the situation. Many of them have opted to take professional help through a few helplines hoping that they can get through this pandemic with sanity.

They can also

Contribute towards the cause from home. Stitch masks for underprivileged, join hands to supply them with essential food and hygiene items, cook meals at home and send them to the migrant labourers who have run out of food etc. By participating in some noble cause, they can channelize their anger effectively. The art of creating something with your hands, and see it being of use to someone needy brings in a deep sense of peace and achievement. It will also keep their minds occupied and away from negative thoughts and too much of NEWS.