Quarantine Fatigue: the Effect of Prolonged Stress and Uncertainty
As Covid-19 containments efforts continue across the US and we enter our fifth month of quarantine more and more individuals are experiencing what has been dubbed Quarantine Fatigue.
Any prolonged period of stress can cause fatigue, and not the kind that is fixed by a weekend catching up on sleep. The kind of fatigue we are talking about is the kind that can lead to burnout. This kind of fatigue is a state of physical, emotional, and mental weariness that is regularly caused by prolonged or excessive stress.
Our April entry about symptoms of quarantine stress and trauma points to factors that are causing many individuals and families to feel quarantine fatigue. If you are feeling any of the following you may be feeling the effects of quarantine fatigue:
· Irritability
· Overwhelmed
· Emotionally drained or exhausted
· Eating more or less
· Difficulty falling or staying asleep
· Racing thoughts
· Feeling unmotivated or unproductive
· Difficulty in making decisions
· Problems with concentration and/or memory
This all comes from the stress of the situation we are in. It’s overwhelming, it’s already been a long time, and it’s all uncertain, unpredictable, and filled with unknowns. That puts both the mind and the body in a constant state of arousal because that is what stress is. The autonomic nervous system, in particular, gets out of whack (watch this video from the award winning Crash Course series if you want to learn a little more about the ANS).
The end result is that we struggle to get through our day, struggle with our jobs, or our job searches, struggle in our interactions with our family members, and even those few friends we are able to see. So what can we do to work through quarantine fatigue? Here is our list and while some of these many sounds cliché or hokey, we promise there is science behind them.
1) Practice mindfulness
If mindfulness is new to you try starting with these four mini relaxation exercises from Massachusetts General Hospital. YouTube also has some mindfulness for kids videos as well as mindfulness for fatigue and some promising mindfulness for quarantine videos. Or, check out this blog post we wrote about mindfulness walks you can take in the Chicago area.
2) Proper eating
Massachusetts General Hospital has another useful article on eating for physical and mental health during Covid-19.
Given the lack of energy characterized by quarantine fatigue it is okay go with making simple meals. Googling “easy X recipe” is a sure-fire way to get lots of simple ideas with the added bonus of these being new foods for the family. Each family member can be given one or two items to prep in order to spread out the pre-cooking load. Our therapist, Kari, personally loves her fullstar vegetable chopper as a time-saving device.
3) Proper sleeping
Sleep is not one of our specialty areas although we know just how important it is. So try giving these tips from the sleepfoundtation.org a try. Dr. Michelle Drerup from the Cleveland Clinic also has this helpful video specifically about sleep during quarantine.
4) Exercise
We aren’t suggesting you pick up a three-times-a-week pumping iron routine. But we are suggesting you get out of the house. A single walk around the block is effective. Or an early evening walk, even the weather is cooler, on a local trail. Bring your masks to put on if you pass other walkers and/or maintain six feet of distance.
If you live in or near an area that has a walkable downtown or pedestrian area stroll around there even if the stores are closed. “Quarantine Scavenger Hunt” turned up a number of surprising results on Google. Or make one for each other. Grab your phones to take photos, go to that walkable area, and meet back in 45 minutes.
5) Connect with your friends and loved ones
We get it. This summer just isn’t the same for anyone. No beach. No barbeque. No trips. As of this writing Kari should be packing for her annual Pennsylvania camping trip with all of her best friends. So what is she doing instead?
Try the now ubiquitous Zoom call but with a few twists. The Wrap has a handy list of board games that can be done online. There are also group playable games that can be purchased on various platforms such as one’s iPhone or iPad, or gaming systems such as the Nintendo Switch which now has the “Jack in the Box” collection of party games.
Group movies can also still happen whether through a dedicated platform such as Kast or via phone call or Facetime with some well-timed fingers. Pick a movie, have everyone meet on the phone, Facetime, Zoom, etc. Get everyone to the same point in the movie, pause, count down, and then hit play. Everyone may not be exactly synced up but it will be close enough. If you have a Netflix account, there are ways to “watch a movie” with a friend in two different houses so you don’t have to bother with the syncing up. Cool, right?
6) Acknowledge your feelings and reframe your thinking
It may seem silly or even heartless and selfish to talk about your feelings of boredom, frustration, or disappointment about seemingly minor things when others have lost family members. Of course, saying “Stupid virus. I miss baseball” to someone who has lost a family member is ill-considered and ill-timed, nonetheless you are still missing out and that is still valid.
Even if you just voice it to yourself, identify the emotion, identify the “why” that may be attached to it (for example, “I’m angry and disappointed because I had to postpone my vacation”), validate this emotion. Then reframe your thinking.
By “reframe” we mean change up the language to focus on what you are accomplishing through your self-deprivation. From the example above it could be “I’m angry and disappointed because I had to postpone my vacation. But it is better than getting sick, or getting someone else sick. I can replan for next year.”
7) Remember everything is temporary
As difficult as everything is right now it is important to remember nothing lasts forever. All things comes to an end sooner or later. We may not have a specific end date but know there is an end. We will get past this crisis.
If you would like to speak to a therapist here at Obsidian Counseling about helping you with symptoms like this please do not hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us at the following:
Ilyssa Lasky –
(224) 255-4411
Kari Holman –
(847) 450-0460
kariholmancounseling@gmail.com