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How you can celebrate festivals while also taking care of your health during this pandemic

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The global lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic brought life to a stand still for many across the globe. As we enter the 10th month since the lockdown was announced, many still await clearance guidelines and permissions to return to their normal, day to day life. However, for Indians, even a pandemic is no excuse to shy away from our bombastic celebration of festivals that is a permanent fixture in Indian culture. However, with limitations on the number of people permitted to gather at once, most mass event venues are still shut and a general fear of the virus in the air, we are tasked with the feat of figuring out a balance between celebration and health.

Let’s take a look at some practices we can follow in order to still attain maximum enjoyment from our festivities, while ensuring we do not compromise our health or the health of those around us.

Celebrating Festivals during a Pandemic:

In India, when it comes to celebrations, we like to do everything king size. It is no surprise then, that the roads of Mumbai are bottlenecked when lalbaugcha raja, a behemoth statue of lord ganesha is brought to the metro to be displayed for devotees.

However, in the pandemic, maintaining a certain amount of physical distance is essential as a measure to practice self-care. Therefore, practices were adapted to fit the situation. For Easter for instance, most churches lay barren as the celebrations were shifted to the online sphere, and devotees attended masses through their phone and laptop screens.

The basics:

There are some hygiene principles that are essential for any public interactions, especially during a celebration or festival. You must always ensure that you have a mask covering your face. Additionally, in the name of healthy choices, you must ensure that your hands do not make contact with the inside of your mask, else the point of wearing the mask is beaten. Given the occasion, you might end up interacting with more than one person; you must always keep your hand sanitiser ready. You might also want to keep a separate bottle of it to offer others, so that they do not end up coming in contact with your personal bottle.

For public festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Diwali or Christmas, there are some practices you could maintain in order to make healthy choices, consume healthy food and maintain good health.

For bigger celebrations:

1.Avoid public celebrations : Even as places of worship and public spaces are gradually opening up, it would be in the best interest of your health to try and avoid such spaces for reckless enjoyment. Participating in public celebrations in crowded spaces will exponentially increase the risk of you contracting the virus.

2. Consider those around you: While you might be of optimum age to not be adversely affected by the virus, contracting it still makes you a carrier and you could pass it on to others around you, including your family members. It is essential to practice self-care if you have elderly members such as grandparents living with you.

3. Don’t overdo it: While the public rhetoric seems to be condemnation of those recklessly flouting COVID-19 rules, being too much of a stickler to the point of paranoia could have significant negative effects on your mental health. While it is essential to practice actions, isolating yourself from the world might be counterproductive. The trick is to strike a balance between celebrating with loved ones whilst also ensuring that you make healthy choices. Online celebrations are a great way to ensure that you stay connected whilst keeping safe.

For smaller celebrations:

While attending a neighbourhood Diwali celebration might be a difficult temptation to beat, if you are determined to make healthy choices and practice self care, it is still attainable. But, what about the celebrations that cannot be made ‘healthy’ simply by avoiding them? When it comes to birthdays, anniversaries or christenings, a private invitation from loved ones might be difficult to resist. In this scenario, there are still some practices you could participate in that will help you practice self-care better.

Here are some ways you can celebrate with your loved ones without compromising on your health.

Maintain Traditions

Just because you cannot practice traditions in the ‘traditional’ manner, does not mean that you cannot maintain them at all. Finding new ways to rekindle old celebration habits through new means in order to be able to enjoy during the pandemic while ensuring healthy choices can be a great way to successfully celebrate in a pandemic.

Online Gift Giving

Gift giving is a practice that cannot be halted in the 21st century, even if there is a pandemic. With the ease online retailers offer, you can easily send your loved ones the perfect gifts for their special day, making them feel special even in a pandemic.

Avoid excess food consumption and keep a fitness regime

As we find ways to make up for missed celebrations and festivities during the pandemic, it is essential to ensure that you still consume in moderation and eat healthier food as this will ensure a healthier lifestyle. For instance, while you might not be going out to a restaurant to eat and celebrate with your family, you could still ensure that you consume food you make or order at home in order to capitalize on the health benefits of home cooked food already offers.

Key to this is also ensuring that you have a fitness regime in place. While you may want to avoid gyms and in-person classes, a number of trainers are offering online consultations and classes. YouTube also has a number of at home fitness workouts that you can exercise alongside. Ensuring that you get at least half an hour of quality exercise everyday will be crucial during the festivities.

Conclusion

The pandemic has undoubtedly thrown a wrench in the celebration of festivities. However, this does not mean we must stop celebrating. We must simply practice caution and avoid methods of celebration that we know go against making healthy choices. Be it your birthday, anniversary or Holi celebration, it is important to remember that your health comes first. Hence, it is very important to buy a health insurance to secure your family and yourself. Also, ensure you eat healthy food and practice self care during celebrations in a pandemic.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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