Not afraid of being alone at home now

HYDERABAD: A subtle rustle in the trees, the cat jumping over the balcony or just the dripping sound of the tap in my washbasin were reasons enough to scare the life out of me. Yes, I was that kind, who took shelter under the bed if anyone told a story of burglary or paranormal activities.

I have never stayed alone. I share a flat in Himayat Nagar with my friend. Before the lockdown began we both packed our bags to head home to Aligarh, UP. As bad as it can get, my housemate boarded the flight and I couldn’t because of some delay. The gates were closed and I had to head back to an empty house with no human presence around as others in the building had left a few days earlier.

I had no option but to make the decision to spend the lockdown days all by myself. The first thing I did was to inform friends and family that I was all alone and I might annoy them in the middle of the night if any panic takes hold of me. Then the next task was to check all the windows and doors if they were properly locked.

A few Google searches and I learnt some breathing techniques to ward away the fear. Slowly, the household chores, the office-work-at-home, addiction to Netflix filled my routine. At night I’d tell myself: “You are safe. You are not alone in this. You are going to be all right.” This really helped me. now, it’s me looking out of the balcony in the middle of the night watching the cat play. Yes, this lockdown has cured me of the fear of being home alone.–Shafak Nazir, sales trainer