Stay home is the new syndrome

By MANIT VERMA

NOIDA: Eighteen months after the COVID-19 pandemic confined people to their homes, they are struck by the “Stay Home Syndrome”.

The new normal has made people across the Corona-hit world so home-centric that contemplating an office or school outing has given them anxiety and stress.

“It makes absolute sense today to continue working from home. I constructively utilise my commuting time into productive work hours, having institutionalised my habit of creating a perfect work environment at home," Mahesh Shankar, a senior marketing professional of a multinational company in Noida, said.

For Sheetal Sharma who lives in Noida and is a parent of two, it is more about compulsion. “Offline school may be better but considering the cluttered spaces, schools should continue with a hybrid version,” she said.

She added that as far as jobs are concerned, work from home should continue as long as possible. “Benefits include reduced traffic and pollution, less travel fatigue, happier employees and savings for employers opting now for smaller office spaces," she pointed out.

The psychologist fraternity believes that COVID-19 has impacted the psycho-graphics of everyone, irrespective of the socio-economic strata. Delhi-based senior clinical psychologist Gunjan Ryder said, “Despite the lockdown being lifted, many people are still feeling hesitant in stepping out of their homes and are preferring to work from home. This a be due to a variety of reasons such as fear of catching corona and anxiety about being in crowded places,” she said.

Some people are also showing loss of interest in interacting socially, she added. “This is happening because they are now more used to interacting through text messages and from the comfort of their homes,” Ryder said.

“With WFH, travel time is saved and it lessens traffic woes. People are now used to their routine at home and find it difficult to make the transition to go to schools, colleges or offices. Many are also facing health issues resulting in a lack of motivation in their previously enjoyed activities,” she added.