COVID Diaries: 'Take A Break And Shed Your Mental Load Off'', 20-Year-Old Bengaluru Student Shares Isolation Story

Since the onset of the second wave, several young adults have been contracting the coronavirus. Although the recoveries are higher, there still are a lot of people who go through severe complications. On the other hand, there are also a few people who spend their time in home isolation, heal themselves and come out powerful after recovery. It isn't about how many symptoms you got, it's about how you overcame and fought back!

Adwait Vaishnavi is a 20-year-old undergraduate student from Christ (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru. He contracted the virus and went into isolation on December 21, 2020. The isolation came as a precautionary measure since his family had a fever for a couple of days ranging between a few hours to a few days. "My house help had previously reported that she had COVID-19, and was asymptomatic. It wasn't isolation as such, but we all took genuine precautions in terms of medication and diet," said Adwait to The Logical Indian.

For Adwait and his family, COVID-19 wasn't too severe. Nevertheless, his mother being a doctor advised all the family members to stay at home for at least 20 days so that everyone fully recovers from the virus. The quarantine ended on January 9, 2021.

"I went to my kitchen and tried smelling an orange. For some reason, I just couldn't smell it at all. It was as if I smelt nothing! I called my mother and she told me to peel it and see if I could smell it. Again, nothing! Alcohol tends to have a stronger smell, so we tried sniffing a whiskey bottle. Yet again, it was nothing. Hence, we realized that something was off," added Adwait.

On the night of December 21, Adwait had a high fever. His parents had it a little rough in terms of symptoms. They had body ache and weakness throughout the period. However, for Adwait, it was particularly the fever and the loss of sense of smell that made him understand that he probably contracted the virus.

When asked about the daily routine that he followed during his isolation period, Adwait and his family kept a track of their SPO2 levels almost every hour. Information about yoga and breathing exercises were also shared with his family group. Regular steaming and vitamins also became a part of their diet.

"We started normalizing the habit of daily walks and my sister also used to cycle somewhere around November. To date, we are unsure of how we contracted the virus. My father had gone to meet a few of his friends at The Taj, Hyderabad. My sister first had a fever. So, we thought it was either one of them from whom we could have contracted. My mother is a doctor had her facts right! She advised us to stay in our rooms because if we would keep interacting with each other, the viral load of the body wouldn't decrease simply because we were all exhaling and inhaling COVID infected air. This would then elongate the treatment period as well," mentioned Adwait.

The family would eat together and do laundry as well. However, they never sat together as a unit. Adwait also plans on taking the vaccines as soon as the slots open in his state. However, he would first want all the people above the age of 45 to receive vaccines. According to him, although there is a lot of debate going on about the vaccination, it is a sure shot for everyone to regain their immunity. "At any point of time, it is essential for the public to know that nobody simply gets an idea to put water and a pinch of the vaccine in a syringe and give you the jab. There are proper clinical trials that are held and only after they are successful do the vaccines come out in the market," said Adwait.

Adwait has always been an avid photographer and he loves editing. During his isolation, he created a few videos and took a lot of indoor pictures. In addition to this, he also plays the guitar. This helped him bring about a lot of positivity and isolation ended up becoming a smooth process for him.

Giloy shots and turmeric milk was consumed by all the members of the family. When asked Adwait about how much he believes in home remedies, he said it is essential to first know what you are consuming before you start having it. "Having turmeric milk is surely beneficial simply because it is a widespread antibiotic. Nevertheless, it is not necessary that it will cure each and every infection. Half-truths are whole lies! Thus, people need to first read up on the benefits of such remedies before blindly having them," added Adwait.

Talking about mental health, Adwait has had a rough time since March 2020. After reading a lot of research articles, he has found how COVID does induce depression because it inhibits serotonin pickup. There were times when he was overtly sad. Nevertheless, today he has recovered and has come out powerful than ever before.

One major takeaway that Adwait took with him after being recovered is that he is extremely grateful that he is privileged. He has had a history of asthma and hasn't been immunologically strong since his childhood. However, he is glad that he didn't have severe symptoms and could recover quickly as well.

"Keeping in mind the second wave and how the medical facility of the nation is trembling, if it isn't a matter of life and death, please do not step out of your house. You will still have the tendency to go out but staying indoors would be your safest option for now. In case you do contract the virus, keep checking your SPO2 levels. COVID was a period for me where I could take a break and shed my mental load off. Let those 14-16 days of isolation that you undergo be a time where you heal physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is important to know that you look forward in life and be proud if you survived the battle," said Adwait.

Also Read: Road To Recovery: "Mental Health Is More Important Than Medication" Says This 19-Yr-Old COVID Warrior