If you’ve been feeling out of sorts lately – irritable, down, anxious – you are most likely suffering from Pandemic Fatigue.
Pandemic Fatigue is an actual condition. If you think about it, look at what we’ve been facing for a good 18 months:
- Changes to how we do almost everything
- Not being able to plan for the future (holidays etc)
- Lots of uncertainty
- Lack of safety (some feel this more than others)
- Isolation (in the true sense for some and less social interaction for others)
- Lack of spontaneity
- Restrictions to our movements
- Having to remember all the things – taking your phone everywhere to check in and face masks
These are a lot of changes for us to come to terms with in a short period of time.
And, as humans, we’re not all that good with change.
So we have good reasons to be feeling Pandemic Fatigue. But how do you know if you have it?
Well, according to NSW Health you would be feeling some of these things:
- Anxious
- Depressed
- Irritable
- Hopeless
- Trapped
- Powerless
- Unmotivated
- Tearful
You might feel physically fatigued, have headaches and muscle tension and a drop in appetite.
You might have more work absences, feel less committed to work, and get things done slower.
Not inspiring is it?
It’s good to know that there is nothing wrong with you if you feel like this. LOTS of people do.
Obviously there are plenty of things you can do about it. The government website suggests eating well, tuning out from the covid news, exercising, building mental endurance – all good suggestions.
One of the things that I also recommend is focusing on your vision. Your vision is your long term plan.
Here’s an example: Jon was feeling a bit like Groundhog Day last week. Pandemic Fatigue had set in. We have a big plan for his business (the vision) but it all involves hard work. He told me he’d never had more than 3 weeks off in a row for over 30 years.
We started talking about how we could make a 2 month holiday happen. All of a sudden we were animated and excited. The vision now had something he wanted to work for. Even if he couldn’t go anywhere, 2 months off would still be fun.
That focus on the vision made the drudgery of now seem much more palatable. Even if the 2 months off never happens, it’s been a way out of Pandemic Fatigue.
I don’t know what your vision might be, but I recommend you start thinking about it – even if you don’t have Pandemic Fatigue.
