It’s been 4 to 6 months since isolation and social distancing has become a norm everywhere. With the entire world under lockdown, no one on this planet has seen such circumstances ever before. Although, some parts are re-opening and are shifting to the “new normal”. That is because of economic reasons and not because the situation is getting any better. Experts say that it will take at least another year to get back to normal.
What is “Quarantine Fatigue”?
According to psychologists all around the world, many people are facing fatigue at the end of every passing day, even when their physical activity is minimum. Psychologists explained that quarantine fatigue could be for multiple reasons. We are going through unprecedented times and a lot of people are having financial hardships. It has become tremendously demanding to work from home and take care of your children at the same time. All of these things add up to a tiring schedule for many people.
How are people keeping up with all this?
Each and everyone out there have their own kind of struggles yet there are some struggles that are common to most of the people. Most people whose work involve them to be on computer report higher fatigue and eye-strain. Also, people who do not recognize themselves as extroverts are also missing to physically be with their family, friends, and co-workers. However, video conferences and voice calls provide an essential social outlet for many people. Although, these kinds of social interactions are not able to fill the void of realtime interactions with other people.
Another issue is the change in stimulation. Mental health experts say that people need some kind of stimulation to achieve optimal motivation for work. Both under-stimulation (associated with lowered motivation) and over-stimulation (associated with a lack of focus) disrupt your efficiency. Different people are going through different states, some through over-stimulation and some through under-stimulation. With the incessant influx of news and new information from all directions, it gets very tiring. Even under-stimulation causes fatigue, as having no change in the environment is tiring. Both of these can impact moods negatively.
Help yourself
- With daily routines we were comfortable with, has gone for the toss during the course of this pandemic. It is advised to create a new routine instead of doing absolutely nothing.
- Gyms and public parks are closed for safety purposes. People are hibernating inside their houses. Make sure you are getting some sort of exercise or doing some kind of physical activity even in indoors. There are creative ways that have come up, one of them is enrolling for virtual exercise classes.
- Try to keep your alcohol consumption in a limit. With people going through tough times, it is easier to fall into addictions which can temporarily make you feel better.
- If the place where you are living has become too crowded, try to take some time for yourself.
- It is very tough to keep yourself collected throughout, these times. Yet practicing mindfulness and gratitude can help you in multiple ways.
- Stay confident and know that you are resilient and competent to get through these hard times. Try to look at the good things with all the new guidelines and adjustment. It has given you and other people the opportunity to be creative and work.
Help others
If you are among the lucky ones who are able to adjust to the new situation. Or if you were already accustomed to live a life like this working from home. It could be a calling for you to step out of it and extend a helping hand. Look after for your friends and family members that you think are not doing good.
Make the adequate use of technology to connect straight with people, ask your family members and other loved ones how they are doing. You can use the idea of “connect five”. Reaching out to five people every day, you can be a support system for someone and also for yourself.
It is acknowledged that being good and charitable to people itself is a satisfying thing to do. It boosts your mood tremendously. you may play an online game with them or just attend them on a voice call or a video conference.
