Just another woman in a lockdown


I just spent the last one hour trying to decide if I should start reading a new book or finish reading the newspaper or continue chatting with my cousins or get some sleep since I couldn’t complete my usual 8 hours’ of beauty sleep last night (not because my 1 year old son kept me awake but because I was watching a silly teenage drama on Netflix until 1:30am). Arghhhh!

Everyday feels like an eternity, no different than the previous day. Wake up. Clean. Feed. Do the dishes. Laundry. Eat. Play. Wait for the next nap hour. Change the diaper. Take classes. Think about snacks all day. Work on my lesson plans. Check Assignments. Walk to the fridge 100 times a day. Repeat. And in between all of that when the baby decides to sleep, I cannot decide what I want to do. That’s exactly how the past 2 months have been for me. This lockdown has created an exhausting routine especially for women both emotionally and physically. Working from home while you are working at home doing dishwashing, cleaning, laundry, gardening, cooking, buying groceries, caring for your children, etc. isn’t an easy task. And to make it worse, nobody appreciates the fact that we are somehow managing all the household work while also doing our office work. Isn’t that so mean? I told my husband that he should be paying me for all the unpaid work I am doing at home.

When I think about all that’s happening, I get a mixed feeling of peace, happiness, gratefulness for being safe and together with our loved ones but at the same time I feel anxious, uncertain and stressed about our future. If you see the brighter side of it all, we have food in our plate, roof over our head, comfortable place to sleep in and our loved ones with us. There’s nothing to complain about. But on the other side of it, there’s darkness and uncertainty looming over our head. Every new piece of information is saddening and causes more stress.

If there is a silver lining in all of this (trying not to sound too optimistic), is the fact that life is better when we have our loved ones with us and we learn to share the workload. Some days are difficult and it gets worse when I convince myself that the burden is all on me. Some days are bearable. I set rational expectations from my husband considering the fact that his job requires him to work way more hours than my school does. I am learning to ask for help and be patient. If I need help in dishwashing, I should have the patience to see the unwashed dishes in the sink for at least few hours without sulking. No kidding. I have clearly demarcated our household roles. Maybe you should do it too. Ask for help and take short breaks. Take Care.
Stay Safe!


Comments

  1. NehaMay 18, 2020 at 1:55 PM

    Don't tell me that silly Netflix teenage episode was Gossip girl ��or Never have I ever��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ElishaMay 18, 2020 at 9:56 PM

      You got it right... Its Never Have I ever ����

      Delete
  2. UnknownMay 18, 2020 at 6:17 PM

    He he... In my case Before even deciding what i should be doing my daughter is awake😉😊

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elsa ScarletMay 18, 2020 at 9:58 PM

      That happens.. Some naps only last for few minutes 😁

      Delete
  3. LittlemisterhumanMay 18, 2020 at 7:50 PM

    I go through this too ���� before I decide what I want to do he either wakes up or starts crying ��

    ReplyDelete
  4. Elsa ScarletMay 18, 2020 at 9:57 PM

    I know... And some days they just sleep for hours and hours and we keep worrying that he's going it wake up any minute now.. ����

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hira NathMay 19, 2020 at 12:45 PM

    I remember you worrying abt ur kid while u were in ur workplace. So glad do to lockdown u ve been able to be with ur kid and work frm home. Dubai hath ma laddu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elsa ScarletMay 19, 2020 at 7:17 PM

      That's so true.. I am very happy that I can spend so much time with him ��

      Delete
  6. UnknownMay 19, 2020 at 1:37 PM

    Nicely written about the fact that is happening to all working women🙏

    ReplyDelete

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