The COVID 19 Fatigue is Real!
Signs of COVID 19 fatigue and burnout are all around, in the beginning, it was all a little surreal, felt very apocalyptic (still does BTW) and we felt ready to embrace the personal sacrifice it would take to fight the invisible enemy, #together, was all over the place. Fast forward nine months later and we are taking risks we would not have considered back in the spring. The inner debate to go out or stay in, risk analysis at every turn has beaten us down. We are seeing the impact in more than 3000 deaths daily across the country and although there is hope, we must stay the course. What that course is, only you can decide, but I hope you will consider some of what I have written below.
The COVID 19 crisis is rapidly changing and evolving. Evidence of this is that I started to write this post about a week ago and it already feels outdated, I guess I really need to do a better job on my follow-through, more on that later. Needless to say despite the new hope that a vaccine brings, the COVID 19 situation is reaching what we hope will be the peak, though many health experts state that the real peak will come sometime in mid to late January after the holidays. More communities are locking down and/or will need to in the next few weeks. We may wonder, “how will I get through this?” “I am tired of all of this”, “I want my life back to what it was!”. I know we are all feeling the COVID 19 fatigue and it is more important than ever to remain vigilant and take care of yourself, both physically and mentally! Vaccines will ease the burden tremendously, but it will take some time for them to get out and for the majority of us to get vaccinated, until then, this next month could be really hard. And on top of it all…. It’s the holidays, which is often a mixed bag for many of us. Feelings of loneliness and stress are more pronounced, especially in a year where so many have lost so much.
When it comes to COVID 19, we know there is more at stake than just our physical health, life goes on and bills pile up, we still need to feed our families and pay our bills, that stress can really do a number on our mental well being.
As the saying goes, if you want to be able to take care of those around you, you need to first take care of yourself (ie put your rescue mask on first!). Here are some recommended strategies to keep yourself mentally fit as we endure this final (hopefully) lockdown!
#1 Get Outside!
One of the best ways to fight off the COVID 19 fatigue is to make sure you get outside for at least 5-10 minutes per day! This is sooooo important, I know even for myself when working from home, I would realize that I had spent an entire day without even stepping a foot outside. Sitting in front of the computer all day is extremely draining! Just stepping outside gives your brain a break and can reduce feelings of stress. There is countless research on the benefits of time outside. I have included a quick read on this topic from Harvard Medical School here.
#2 Physical Activity Will Help Beat the COVID 19 Fatigue!
If you can build in a little physical activity in those 5-10 minutes, even better. Your physical activity doesn’t have to be super intense, a brisk walk with your four-legged buddy, a little bike ride, or a quick run around the neighborhood. Get your heart rate up a little, sweat a little if you can, it will be enough to release some of those naturally euphoric-like endorphins. This will help you clear your mind and you’ll feel better able to handle the stress in your life.
#3 Be mindful of screen time!
As I was discussing above, many of the systems around us and within which we operate to create the structure for us like work and school, without them, we are left to our own devices… literally! Many of us are spending way too much time on our devices aka screens. It’s ok to have screen time, be it for pleasure or for work/school but build in time away from your screen if you can. I realize that our life centerpiece these days is screens, we are using them for EVERYTHING… trust me I know, I know… you want to try a new recipe, you look it up online, you want to connect with a friend you FaceTime them, text them or zoom with them, you want to read a book, you pick up your kindle, you want to relax and do something mindless, you put on a movie or watch something on YouTube… and we could keep going. The screens in our life are tools and we know the value of that. I think the important part here is to be mindful of how much time we are on screens and what activities we use them for. If our screen time is hours and hours of video games, that might be something to re-evaluate, if it is to connect with other people, probably more valuable. If it is part of our work or school day, make it a point to create time to separate from that piece of your day, this is where that break outside might be helpful. It all comes down to mindfulness, being mindful of what we are doing, and how much of it.
#4 Take a News Break!
We are inundated with the news, it is constant and it can be exhausting. The expression, “Know when to say when” … definitely applies here, it is important to stay informed, but it is also important to notice when the news is having a negative impact on you and possibly your relationships. I haven’t seen “The Social Dilemma” yet, maybe you have and could speak more intelligently about this topic, it is definitely on my list! But one of the things I have heard time and time again about this documentary is that it highlights the way the media has tapped into who we are and what our values are. The media has created a funnel of news with those parameters we have given them through our searches and online perusing. The result being, that it is alienating us from those that have different viewpoints, may be different values, and further creates the divide between “us and them”. There are many of us who probably can relate to the impact that the news and politics have had on us personally and our relationships. COVID is one of those topics where there is a wide array of viewpoints. In these moments, stick to the facts, recognizing that there will be a need to discern some of what those facts are but we can find them, look for them and take a break from the rest of it. Turn off your notifications for a bit and make it a point to just grab those headlines that you need once or twice a day, as an example of how to cut back on the news feed.
#5 Combat COVID 19 Fatigue with Structure and Routine!
I have been talking about this with my clients since day one of this pandemic. It has taken more work to create structure in our lives. Pre pandemic, this was built into our daily living. I have put this strategy here, as number five, at the bottom of my list, not because it is less important than the others but because it is the “wrap up” of all the above strategies. Without a schedule, chances are it won’t happen, if you build physical activity, walks with the dog, and time to check the news (as opposed to being fed the news all day) into your daily schedule, you will be more successful with getting it done. So take numbers 1-4 and put it into #5!
Here is an example of a schedule that you could adapt for your life or for your kids.
Below I have included some information from NIMH, National Institute of Mental Health, which again emphasizes some these strategies I have expanded on above.
If this article was helpful as you thought about ways to battle the COVID 19 fatigue, please hit the like button below and repost to your social media. I would also love to hear from my readers, what have you done to cope with the COVID crisis? Please send me a message in the feedback section below and don’t forget to sign up for my email list to get your free data tracker, where you will be able to collect the data you need to create the changes you want. Also, there will be lots of freebies for my subscribers as well as exclusive content from yours truly.