2020 has been a tough year for our mental wellness. On top of work-related stress, our personal lives have added anxieties such as; redundancies, health risks, isolation and lockdown. This is pandemic fatigue, have you felt it too?
Masking up, vigorously hand washing and keeping a social distance has become a way of life for some and for others it has become an exhausting chore. These social regulations can affect your mental illness contributing to a feeling of fatigue.
Pandemic fatigue is real. Being in a constant state of high-alert can lead to low energy levels. The pandemic presents the difficult challenge of accepting how little control we have over our day-to-day lives—or knowing when life will return to a more relaxed state.
Be aware of how the pandemic is impacting your wellbeing.
Adverse mental health effects are linked to being in a chronically stressful situation, especially for people whose lives have been severely disrupted by illness, financial stress or essential work.
This year has largely been swallowed up by COVID-19, leading to the shutdown of economies, schools, businesses, arts and entertainment. People became confused about why they felt fatigued, despite their social and work lives slowing down.
Know the signs:
- Inefficiency
- Lack of empathy and compassion
- Increased procrastination
- Lack of sleep and appetite
Consider implementing coping mechanisms:
- Exercise
- Engage with nature
- Stay in tune with emotions
Watch out for pandemic fatigue turning into risky behaviour. Sustained behavioural change is hard. Especially as people become complacent with the new reality. As the pandemic drags on, there are two noticeable changes in society’s perception of the disease.
One is perceived susceptibility — how likely do you think you are to get a disease?
The second is perceived severity — if you do get it, how bad do you think it will be?
However, the threat of covid is still very real and the cultural and social precautions must be adhered to. Most of us have lived most of 2020 under the blanket of restrictions, but ensure you stay safe and mentally healthy.
