4 Ways to Manage Pandemic Fatigue
Many people are dealing with the devastation of having to take pandemic precautions that we thought we had left in the past. In the spring the message we were receiving was that we could go out and live our lives, and now months later numbers are rising and we’re in masks all the time again.
Inside of this experience is something that we have all gone through outside of COVID. We have all been in situations where we thought things were going well only to have the rug pulled out from under us, and that can be very stressful.
Many of us are experiencing pandemic fatigue. We are tired of not being able to live as we did in 2019. There are so many unknowns that it can be challenging to find a light at the end of the tunnel.
So how do we manage?
Figure out and focus on what is within your control. Those things within your control might be: who you allow into your home, what risks you are willing to take, and how you spend the time you have at home.
Talk about it. Find or create a support circle with a few of your friends and talk about how much it sucks to be back in this place. Take the time to air out your disappointment and frustration.
Give yourself space to feel what you feel. We are all going through a lot of emotions right now. Even if you don’t want to share what you’re feeling with a group of friends or family, you still need an outlet. Whether that is going to therapy or writing in a journal, you need to find somewhere to vent.
Admit you were hopeful. When you have hope that something is going to happen and then it doesn’t it can be devastating. Very often instead of being sad, we try to quickly pick up the pieces and act as though we weren’t hopeful. We behave as though we knew this would be the outcome. But it’s ok that we were hopeful.
The pandemic is not going in a direction that we can predict, but there are so many things that we can manage: the way we react and respond to what we can and can’t do, our perspective, and our spirit.
Something to Watch
The Other Two is a comedy about two siblings who are trying to make it in the entertainment industry after their baby brother unintentionally goes viral and becomes a pop star. It is a great show about things not turning out the way we plan. There are two seasons available for streaming on HBO Max.
Something to Read
In How To Rebuild Trust In A Relationship After It's Been Broken, an article on Mind Body Green, Kiaundra Jackson, a couples therapist, explores what trust is, signs of a lack of trust and how to repair trust that has been damaged.
In Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy Sheryl Sandberg offer inspiration and advice for how to cope with and handle life’s inevitable setbacks. The book is available on Amazon and Bookshop.
Journal Prompts
How are you feeling about not seeing a clean ending to the pandemic?
What areas of this back and forth process can you control?
How are you remaining connected to yourself and others during this time or not?
Did something in this newsletter speak to you? Leave a comment and let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Check out my book Set boundaries, Find Peace
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