Is Pandemic Fatigue Ruining Your Health?
You’ve probably noticed shit’s been weird for a minute. We’re a year into the COVID-19 pandemic as I write this, and it seems like every day we see examples of people experiencing the devastating soul-crushing weight of the global pandemic.
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The Struggle Is Real
From the ass-shaped dent in the couch, to the quickly-abandoned newfound love of bread baking, the feeling-too-lazy-to-cook take-out dinners and the daily ritual of changing out of sweats into pajamas (or not, whatever) — all of them tell the story of our collective fatigue.
It’s easy to become desensitized and make poor decisions that can affect health long-term. Drugs and alcohol aside, people become more likely to engage in other risky activities (family get-togethers, weddings, restaurants & bars, etc.) when they are feeling hopeless. It’s important to note these things can be a risk not just to the individual, but to everyone else they come into contact with.
For most, the stress of a seemingly endless working staycation paired with a ton of “new normals” (barf) like wearing masks, social distancing, Zoom meetings, remote learning, grocery pickups and money issues isn’t great for our health. It shows up as disrupted physiological processes, some times leading to physical and mental health problems.
Disrupted Physiology
The body doesn’t work well under intense stress. It can be hard to sleep, hard to get up in the morning, or have energy for much besides stumbling to the couch and watching TV. Forget a workout — even if it was appealing, who has the energy? Because stress and lack of sleep throw off blood sugar, we may have intense cravings for crunchy or salty foods, and foods high in refined carbs or sugars. Not great for health, since it can cause further problems with energy, sleep and blood sugar.
Physical and Mental Health
Short-term health effects of pandemic stress include decreased cognitive function and decreased immune function. Both aren’t a great thing, but during a pandemic, it’s especially important to support immune health.
Depression and anxiety are downstream effects of chronic stress, which we have all been under for the past year. When someone is experiencing these, it’s common to avoid or delete self-care from our day. Things like exercise and eating well might seem impossible, and it becomes easier to eat our feelings. It’s also easier to lean on retail therapy, drinking, drug use, porn, gambling or other unproductive diversions as an escape.
The good news is you can take action. Here are 4 strategies that can help you take care of your health, even on days when you are feeling like everything is broken and horrible.
Talk about your feelings
Encourage structure in your life
Embrace impermanence and look for meaning
Start a healthy habit
It’s no shocker that pandemic fatigue is a problem, even for those who are handling it well. (whatever that is). As a coach, I’ve have hundreds of conversations over the past year about this pandemic and how it subtly undermines health and fitness goals. Parents of school-aged children now find themselves in homeschooling hell and being physically separated from our extended families and communities is emotionally taxing.
Getting exercise is more challenging than it used to be. Going to the gym is now harder or undesirable, due to to safety measures, closures and outbreaks. Working out at home is hard because we’re always home. The list goes on. We’ve all lost sleep and had to adjust to a myriad of changes in just a few short months.
Good news: there are things you can do to give yourself some hope and a little clarity as you prepare for what’s next — whatever that is.
The idea here is to safeguard your health and come out of this COVID-19 hellhole without it completely wrecking your health or fitness goals. The strategies I use (with myself and with clients) are simple and build on each other. Right now, let’s start with the first one.
Acknowledge Your Feelings
Usually we think of trauma as big, scary, earth-shattering events that happen all at once, with instant fallout. It may be tempting to overlook a pandemic as a form of trauma because it looks different from examples of trauma on television or in movies.
But trauma is exactly what this pandemic is. It changes us, and needs to be processed so we can move on with our lives.
There are no awards for not having feelings, so let yourself have them.
It’s important with any trauma to talk about our feelings, even if the idea of it seems silly. Story-telling is in our DNA, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t share your experience. You don’t have to shout it from the rooftops, either (unless you want to). You have options here.
Try journaling or making voice memos or a video diary. Let yourself feel your feelings, and avoid judging. It’s important here to name what happened (or is still happening), and to record it.
Talk with a friend. Communicating our experiences with others is extremely helpful, not just to you, but to others. You may find that you are helping your friend process just as much as they are helping you. Be sure to give others the courtesy of non-comparison and non-judgement. Avoid comparing experiences, which often involve phrases like “well at least you don’t have it as bad as…” or “just be grateful that…” Toxic positivity is helpful to absolutely no one. If you find yourself on the receiving end, let them know you don’t want to compare your experience to others and keep in mind that not every person you talk to has the tools to be a good listener.
Invest in therapy. There’s something amazing and really comforting about paying someone to listen to you talk for an hour, even if it’s not that deep. Therapists are great at helping you uncover and let go of feelings you didn’t know were holding you back.
Deepen the mind/body connection. Many people find comfort in holy texts and practices, even if they are separated from other practitioners. Chanting, meditation, mantra work and prayer have a relaxing effect that can help the body become more resilient to stress while acknowledging the struggle.
If you struggle with your diet or exercise during times of stress, consult with a nutrition coach or trainer to see if they can help. It’s surprising just how far a little support can go.
Examine Your Routine and Find Structure
Creating structure for yourself is vital. We cope with stress better when we support our natural schedule. In other words, circadian rhythm directly influences the body’s ability to fight sickness and manage stress. Think of structure as a guide rather than something rigid — it’s there to help you when you need it, which may not be all the time.
Take a look at your schedule and find ways to make it more regular, especially when it comes to work hours, meals, bedtimes and wake times. Reflect on where you’d like to start — you can always re-imagine things later.
Structure exists on a spectrum. Finding the right amount is crucial. Keep in mind that needs fluctuate over time.
Mental & Physical Organization
One of the simplest ways to feel in control is to take stock of your situation and organize it! It can be as simple as decluttering a room, or more existential (like making a 5 year plan).
Start to get organized by making a mental inventory of what you want for your future. Prioritizing what’s important can be a north star to guide you through difficult times.
Here’s an exercise — divide a piece of blank paper into three columns. At the top of the first column write: things I’m doing. In the second column, write: things I need to be doing. In the third column, write: things I want to be doing. Cross out anything you’re not thrilled about until you have 3-5 things left. Do these things give you more clarity about what you want for your future? Using this goal-setting method can be very illuminating.
Cleaning or organizing your living or working spaces is always a a pick-me up. If you’re feeling too bummed out for something involved, start simple, even if it’s just a quick sweep. any project can be as big or small as you want it to be.
Purging belongings you aren’t using feels liberating. Go through your living and working spaces and find things that aren’t necessary. Could someone else benefit from it? Donate them or better yet, search for a buy-nothing group in your area and let those things find new homes with someone else!
Find What Works For You
We are products of our environment, and not everyone is coming from the same place. Avoid judging how you are structuring your life, and recognize the challenges you have while you move things forward.
If all of this seems overwhelming, start small. Let that small success feed your ambition for bigger successes. See how you do and go from there! You’ve got this.
Embrace Impermanence
Nothing is Permanent
Your fancy new phone? You might drop it in the toilet, crack the screen or lose it. Your home? You probably aren’t the last person who will live there. Places you love to travel? Your favorite destination may not be accessible right now. Nothing good or bad is forever. Tuning into the impermanence of our current reality is a crucial long-term survival mechanism.
Find Purpose
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl urges the reader to find meaning in traumatic situations and events. He writes, "When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves."
What needs to change within you in order to adapt and give this shit show meaning? Write down a few ideas and start there.
Breathing Drills
Breathing drills can help calm the autonomic nervous system and give us the space we need to gain clarity. Breath is the embodiment of impermanence. You can only hold it for so long — no matter how long you hold it, letting go is inevitable.
Box Breathing
Place one hand on the belly and one hand on the chest
Inhale through your nose for a 4-count
Hold for a 4-count
Exhale through your nose for a 4-count. (be sure to pace yourself so you don’t breathe out too quickly)
Hold for a 4-count with no air in your lungs (this is sometimes called a “no breath”)
Repeat at least 3 times
Yawn to Smile
Inhale into a yawn and stretch your arms out wide overhead
At the end of the yawn, bring the arms down and smile
Repeat 5-10 times
Slow Breathing
See how slowly you can inhale and exhale
Keep the transitions between inhale and exhale smooth
Repeat for 1-3 minutes
Once you’ve tried a breathing drill, consider working it into your daily life.
Pandemics aren’t forever. Let’s just get through it without too much damage.
One Simple Habit or a 5-Minute Action
Habits are the outcome of goal setting and cornerstone of change, which is something that helped me recover from drug addiction in my 20s. My first habit was literally saying to myself, “all you need to do is not do drugs today.” But that quickly turned into all sorts of other things that made my life productive and purposeful.
Simple habits don’t always have to be something that sounds responsible or productive. You can also think about starting or rediscovering a creative outlet, whether it’s tinkering around the house or learning a musical instrument.
Just taking 5 minutes daily to do something that will make you feel more organized and in control can be extremely helpful under normal circumstances, but especially in a pandemic.
Choosing Healthy Habits
Here’s an activity: use a piece of paper to write down habits that may help clear the pandemic funk and move you closer to your shiny new future on the other side. Cross out any you are already doing and number the remaining habits from easiest to hardest. Start with the easiest one.
Here are a few ideas for daily habits:
Check in with friends and family
Take a multivitamin & omega-3 supplement
Get 10 minutes of sunshine
Drink x ounces of water (half your bodyweight in oz. is good)
Write down something you are grateful for
Do an art or music activity
Take a morning walk
Pick up around the house for 5 minutes
Eat 5 servings of vegetables every day
Dedicate 5 minutes a day toward practicing that habit and see where it goes!
Remember that if nothing else, your goal during this time is to survive. You don’t have to get your best body ever or organize your whole house or write a book — you just have to survive.
If you or someone you love are struggling, get help. 1-800-273-TALK