Did a sustainable lifestyle help these Hyderabadis handle the stress of pandemic better? Find out

Among the lessons that the pandemic has taught us, one of the main ones happens to be — respect for natural resources at hand. It might not come as a surprise that navigating the lockdown and the time thereafter has been significantly stress-free for the slow-life enthusiasts, who follow a sustainable lifestyle. From growing their own vegetables, to DIY masks and even making their own toothpaste, these Hyderabadis were relatively at ease even during the lockdown that forced people to change how they were living before. Certified nutritionist, Kamana Gautam, who runs a popular Instagram page called My Cocktail Life, recalls that she didn’t panic buy store-bought masks. She used old T-shirts and created masks from them. Later she got a few made by members of a non-governmental organisation. For keeping her house clean and germ-free, she resorted to bio enzymes made from lemon, water and jaggery. “Good health and mental well-being are bound to follow when you eat seasonally and are close to nature. And, it is something that comes naturally to me as I was raised so consciously. Now I want to raise my children in a sustainable environment too,” says the 35-year-old, who started veering towards eco-friendly choices when she decided to become a parent.

Meanwhile, Havovi  Batliwalla, became a slow life convert around four years ago and she started making small changes. “Why should I buy a face pack or shampoo if I can make them at home,” she questions. She recently bid adieu to her corporate job and is focussed on leading the slow life. The 36-year- old recalls that during the isolation period, she had easy access to vegetables, as she was growing coriander, curry leaves, tomatoes in her balcony. “It was sufficient for one person like me and I rarely needed too much from the outside,” she shares, adding how her little patch of home-grown vegetables were an assuring presence when shops were shut.

Social media influencer Vyshnavi Gudivada, who runs the Instagram portal for sustainability, The
Indian Minimalist, had a similar experience too. “I could do away with face washes and scrubs that come in environment polluting plastics and make my own from oats. I have been making my own toothpaste, conditioners and deodorant and even peanut butter,” shares the 21-year-old. She asserts although adopting the eco-friendly route entirely might not be possible for everyone, one could start tweaking their lifestyle bit by bit.“Adopting zero-waste methods has been an empowering,” she says, adding that it is also the need of the hour.