There’s no denying the fact that the lockdown and other measures – such as social distancing, self-isolation – to help curb the spread of the COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has created havoc in our lives. Routines and schedules have been disrupted due to COVID-19 disease outbreak. Yet, experts said it could be more than a year before everyday life can return to normal. A lot of people complain about being fatigued at the end of the day. And if you’re feeling exhausted, experiencing feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, irritability, or a lack of motivation despite being at home, then you may be suffering from what experts have dubbed ‘quarantine fatigue’.
As ‘quarantine fatigue’ sets in amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important that you check in with yourself and others to cope with this uncertainty in a healthy manner. According to experts, quarantine fatigue is causing some people to follow social distancing guidelines less stringently. Read below to understand what quarantine fatigue is, why it’s affecting us, and what you can do about it.
What exactly is Quarantine Fatigue?
Luana Marques, PhD, director of Community Psychiatry PRIDE and Mass General Research Scholar 2020-2025, puts it this way: “ Quarantine fatigue can be defined as exhaustion linked with the new restrictive lifestyle that’s been adopted to slow the spread of COVID-19”. According to Dr Marques, this exhaustion can be experienced differently by people.
What are the signs and symptoms of Quarantine Fatigue?
Quarantine fatigue is manifested both emotionally and physically, said Dr Sarjana Dutt, Director-Molecular Biology, R&D & Cytogenetics at Oncquest Laboratories Ltd, as she offers insight into these feelings of quarantine fatigue and actionable tips on how to deal with them. Basically, this phenomenon of quarantine fatigue is the result of all the emotional stress brought about by our current circumstances – isolation, a lack of routine, disconnect, loss of freedom to go about life as compared to pre-quarantine ways and depleted energies in spite of more than normal rest. They say, “Isolation is the most savage mental health symptom that humans suffer from,” and today we are dealing with it at an unprecedented scale.
Though stress levels vary from person to person, there are some common factors like the inability to engage in meaningful and pleasurable activities such as sports, walks, drives, movies, family get together etc. The salient symptoms of quarantine fatigue are:
Mild to severe physical fatigue
Irritability
Disturbed sleep/oversleeping
Anxiety
Apathy, lethargy, lack of motivation
Emotional lability/unstable emotions
Feelings of intense loneliness and disconnection
Feeling hopeless
How to deal with Quarantine Fatigue
It is difficult to say when and if, things would revert to the so-called ‘normal’ that we used to know. Overcoming such a daunting prospect requires inner strength. And while it is important to reflect and contemplate on it, it is equally important to realise that the only time we have for action is in the ‘NOW’. So let’s go for it and get some dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins flowing! Some tips to overcome the all-pervading quarantine fatigue are:
Take breaks from your phone and media
Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Create and maintain a daily routine
Try a home makeover, gardening, cleaning etc.
Plan and directional your energy expenditure
Do breathwork, exercise yoga and meditation
Rediscover self and find a purpose
Reach out to your emotional support circle
Remain positive
Weave a dream, a purpose, and a plan
The stress leading to quarantine fatigue is just one more opportunity to grow stronger. Once you begin to view it as an opportunity for growth, your outlook changes, and your emotions begin to shift. What had been an irritation, a nuisance, now becomes an unspoken dare to ‘step up and take care’. Perhaps, the quarantine period could turn out to be the best time to showcase your creativity, so let it shine.
Source: Times Now
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