Bhumi Pednekar opines that by keeping our grief within ourselves won’t do us any good!

The corona inflicted lockdowns have slowed down people’s lives. Apart from physical wellness, the mental wellness too have become important during the ongoing pandemic. The past year and a half has seen each one of us do things that we’d never have expected. There have been many prominent faces and personalities who’ve shown leadership by taking ownership of the situation and put aside their personal life to come to the aid of one and all. With our cover story this month, we turn the spotlight on a few individuals who have done their bit to amplify medical aid during the deadly second Covid wave. Through their stories, we find out how they personally dealt with losses and coped during these trying times.

Bhumi Pednekar, who herself tested positive for the coronavirus along with her mother in April, helped amplify medical assistance and aid on social media. Speaking abouther experience, the talented actress, who has her own initiative – Covid Warrior that provides financial assistance, says, “It’s been a blur since April. I remember getting just three hours of sleep every-day, afraid that if I didn’t keep a tab on the requests coming in, I’d lose out on an opportunity to save someone’s life.”

Talking about how she sometimes pushes her feelings to the back of her mind saying it doesn’t mean she’s cold-hearted, Bhumi comments, “When it’s hard to accept devastating news, most people look for ways to cope, and this is how I’ve learned to go about it. It can be self-destructive because it’s important to process difficult emotions without sweeping it under the rug.” Bhumi also leaves behind a telling message by saying that by keeping our grief within ourselves won’t do us any good. “We don’t talk about loss. The massive death toll has reduced people to a mere statistic. It’s all about finding ways to numb the pain. Loss can linger longer than expected. So, it’s important we work on coming to terms with and dealing with its effects now.”