Lockdown 2.0: Young professionals find Covid calls anxiety-inducing, look for interesting hacks to ward off loneliness

Even before the prime minister announced a nationwide lockdown, a preventive measure against the spread of Covid-19, Komal Chandani, 30, had found herself all alone in her rented apartment in Mumbai. Her two flatmates had flown out of the city, either for work or to be with their family. On the eve of the first phase of lockdown, as thousands of people thronged their nearest grocery stores to stock essentials, reality dawned on Chandani, a digital marketer from Ahmedabad: for the first time ever, she was to live all by herself for three long weeks.

In contrast, Sukanya Priya, a graphic designer from Odisha, has been staying alone in her Gurgaon apartment for the last two-and-a-half years. Yet, living alone in the lockdown has hit them hard all the same. Overwhelmed by the lack of physical human interaction and new day-to-day challenges, Chandani experienced anxiety attacks.

Priya just went silent for 22 days straight. “It wasn’t the silence of calmness,” says the 27-year-old. “It was worrisome.” Like Chandani and Priya, a lot of young urban professionals, known as “yuppies”, are grappling with loneliness in this lockdown — either by chance or by choice.


A few factors distinguish their anxieties from those of the middle-aged and older people caught in a similar situation. “While older people living alone are far more scared than the younger lot, they have also lived for a longer period and therefore have a different perspective on life from their younger counterparts,” says Ishita Pateria, a Mumbai-based counselling psychologist.

The middle-aged tend to be more responsible, she adds. The yuppies, notes the 30-year-old, exhibit different characteristics. “They share apartments, have a far more active social life and depend on their monthly salary for livelihood.” Therefore, their anxieties, especially during this period, are different.

For starters, most yuppies are upset about not being able to go home before the lockdown, says Pateria. Pranjal Sutradhar, 25, is that guy in Bengaluru who regrets not flying to hometown Guwahati while he still had the chance.

Navdha Dhingra, 33, is that solitary yuppie in Mumbai who had the option of being with her parents in Agra. Even Pateria is alone at the moment, away from her folks in Madhya Pradesh. “When I think about how this could have been a great opportunity to spend some time with my family, I too feel frustrated,” she says.


Shreya Dhanwanthary, actor, Mumbai
"The entertainment industry prepares you for uncertainties of this kind as most of us have already experienced what it’s like going through long periods with no money or work”
ALONE: By choice, since 2015
DOWNSIDE: Misses family & freedom of movement
UPSIDE: Has written, directed and acted in a micro-series during lockdown

This frustration exacerbates when one is living in an area where procuring essential supplies is a hassle. Dhingra struggled to buy vegetables for the first two weeks of the lockdown. “Even though I had lived alone for most of my adult life, I realised I depend so much on the support system around me — public transport, delivery apps, domestic help, et al. On some days, I am so caught up with work that I don’t have the time to cook,” says the travel industry professional.

A lot of Pateria’s clients are overwhelmed by the domestic chores that they have to suddenly manage alongside working from home, she says. “They admit they are not cooking or cleaning regularly.” Pradhumn Acholia, 28, relates to this rather painfully. “Washing dishes is the hardest part,” says the Bengaluru-based writer, who hails from Kota in Rajasthan. “A few days ago, I reused a plate I had just put in the sink to avoid cleaning two plates later,” he awkwardly admits.

Even so, what they miss the most right now is the human touch. Last week, a 32-year-old entrepreneur, living alone in his Bengaluru apartment, approached his nearest police station to seek permission to temporarily shift to his friend’s place because he was desperate for human contact. “My weeks had turned into one extended day while living alone,” says the entrepreneur from Jaipur, who wishes to remain anonymous because of funding concerns. The police denied his request, he says, citing safety reasons. “You miss the hugs, the friendly conversations,” says Sameer Malik, a 27-year-old innovation consultant from Delhi, currently living in an area that has been sealed after two people tested positive for the virus in his locality.


Pradhumn Acholia, writer, Bengaluru
ALONE: By chance as flatmate went home before lockdown
DOWNSIDE: Gets overwhelmed with no one physically around to talk to about unsettling news
UPSIDE: Has learnt to cook chappatis, taking instructions from his mother on video calls

In Mumbai, Ankit Ahuja has been staying alone for the past three months while his wife is stuck in Malaysia. In their three years of marriage, this is the longest the couple have lived apart. “With the way things are right now, we even avoid talking about when we will be able to meet,” says the 32-year-old sales professional. They make regular video calls, of course. But it cannot compensate for having someone right beside you, especially in these unsettling times. “Sometimes you hear something so disturbing that you need to be comforted without having to make an effort to reach out and explain the context to someone,” says Acholia. It is what Dhingra needed two weeks ago when she found out that her aunt had passed away. Being alone is nice when there is an option to meet people.

When that is taken away, it can get dreary and suffocating, says Pateria. “Some of my clients realise the importance of relationships and want to start dating now. Some others have broken down during online counselling sessions,” she says. Complete isolation from humans can get to the best of the lot. Like Tanzila Anis, who is living alone in Noida since her flatmate went home a week before lockdown. Anis was better prepared for the lockdown way before it hit everyone. “I had stocked up coffee to last three months,” says the 36-year-old radio professional. She also has two dogs that she treats like her own kids. Yet, Anis cannot help but choke at the mere mention of her parents living in Delhi whom she hasn’t seen in a month now. “We would meet every week under normal circumstances,” she says.

Keeping Calm & Carrying On
Adversities have indeed helped these yuppies bring out the best in them. It has forced Chandani to spend time with herself. "I talk to myself out loud to recreate the atmosphere of a conversation in the house. I realise I am quite funny,¡¨ she says. With no humans in the house, she dedicates herself to her plants. "I practise sound therapy by playing happy music around the plants to help them grow better."

In Gurgaon, Priya has taken to painting and craftwork to channelise her thoughts and energy. "I made a tissue box out of cardboard the other day. I also made a calendar on a chart paper and marked the number of days in the lockdown so I can scrap one every day," she says. A passive social media user otherwise, she actively posts questions on Instagram Stories now, an exercise to get your friends to respond and therefore interact with you.


Tanzila Anis, radio professional, Noida
"People like me are generally over-prepared for a crisis. I had stocked up coffee for three months a week before the lockdown”
ALONE: By chance, as flatmate went home before lockdown
DOWNSIDE: Misses parents in Delhi she otherwise met every week
UPSIDE: Talks to her two dogs to ward off loneliness

Actor Shreya Dhanwanthary, last seen in popular web series The Family Man, is accustomed to long periods of uncertainty. "The entertainment industry prepares you for uncertainties of this kind. Most of us have already experienced what it is like to go through long periods with no money or work," she says. She has utilised this time to write, direct and act in a micro web series called A Viral Wedding.

Dhanwanthary wrote the nine episodes of this yet-to-be-released series in 11 hours one fine night. "It was the night of March 26", the second day of lockdown. Dhanwanthary took guidance over the phone from industry stalwarts like Raj Nidimoru, one half of the writer-filmmaker duo Raj & DK (Stree, The Family Man). She even managed to rope in actors like Amol Parashar and Sunny Hinduja. "Everyone recorded and sent their tapes to me online. Actors became their own art directors and costume and makeup artists," she told ET Magazine of the process of creating this project during the lockdown. In these heavy-duty times, the series is her attempt to offer something "light-hearted" to people, she says.


Sukanya Priya, graphic designer, Gurgaon
“I’ve made a calendar on a chart paper and put the number of days in the lockdown so I can scrap one every day"
ALONE: By choice, since 2017
DOWNSIDE: Has become silent in lockdown, which worries her
UPSIDE: Has started to paint and do craftwork

In the spirit of keeping things light, Ahuja and wife do virtual party sessions with friends and family on weekends. A few weeks ago, they analysed their old WhatsApp chats from courtship days. "We saw how our conversations had veered from lovey-dovey messages to discussing plumbers and electricians over the years." As they wait to be reunited, the couple make small attempts at rejuvenating their relationship, even if remotely. "We have started scheduling our cooking and working out timings so that we can do some activities together," Ahuja says.

Lonely in lockdown, Dhingra has discovered she can cook to save her life. She recently made spaghetti carbonara and it wasn't half bad, she claims. Acholia in Bengaluru has had a similar epiphany. He learnt basic culinary skills from his mother through video calls and now makes chappatis like a pro, he says. "The milk got spoiled a few weeks ago so I turned it into paneer and had mattar paneer for three days after that," he says.

In his sealed society in Delhi, Malik has discovered a $350 online course on impact investing that is now available for free. "I make it a point to have a routine. I shower every day, for instance." That is quite a commitment when there is no one around to judge and jibe, to be honest.

Routine is what keeps Pateria sane, too. "The more you give yourself control over your life, the better you get at coping with the anxiety of being alone in this time," she says and advises the same to her clients. "I also tell them to limit the time dedicated to discussing Covid-19 in general." Chandani is using this time to get to know her society' s chairman, administrator and her next-door grocer. She makes extra food for the building's security guard these days. "It gives a sense of sharing a meal with someone even if we are not eating together."


Ankit Ahuja, sales professional, Mumbai
“My wife and I have never been apart for this long in the three years of our marriage. With the way things are right now, we avoid talking about when we will be able to meet each other”
ALONE: By chance, as his wife is in Malaysia which is also under lockdown
DOWNSIDE: Several family members, including spouse, stuck alone in different parts of the world
UPSIDE: He and his wife analysed their WhatsApp chats from courtship days to rejuvenate their relationship. They do party sessions on video call every weekend

She follows the act through to the end. "I excitedly call and ask him how he liked the dal," she says. She has stocked up an indiscriminate number of tomato ketchup bottles. "It goes with everything." At night, she switches off all the lights and dances to Malayalam songs that she doesn¡¦t understand a word of. "This period has taught me to pick myself up from the mightiest of falls. It has taught me that I'm the only one most capable of doing that for myself."

Although away from her at the moment, her flatmates also keep checking on her every now and then. "One of them recently told me that I can roam around naked in the house now." There is no AC in their flat, she casually mentions, "It does make living quite unbearable sometimes." Nudge nudge wink wink.

Living Alone as a Young Urban Professional (Yuppie) During the Lockdown, sourced by psychologists

• Their anxieties and perspectives on life are different from those of middle-aged or senior citizens living alone
• They used to have a more active social life than older people living alone
• Their anxieties are exacerbated if they are living in an area where procuring supplies is an issue
• Phone/video calls are more anxiety-inducing these days as discussion is limited to Covid-19
• They fear falling sick, with no one to take care of them