10 Ways To Combat Pandemic Fatigue | Self Love Sunday

I think we can all collectively agree on one thing- we are exhausted.

It doesn’t matter what side of the vaccine/mask debate you’re on (I’m fully vaccinated & pro mask if you’re wondering)- we’re all tired. We’re over this, and we’re burnt out. I’m not even going to get into the vaccine/mask conversation in this post, because quite frankly I’m tired of that too. No matter what side of these debates we’re on, we all deserve a breather and to have even the slightest bit of normalcy.

Here are 10 ways to combat pandemic fatigue

1- edit your Social Media & take regular breaks

I spend a good amount of time on social media due to my blog and projects I’m working on, but sometimes I just need a break. Over the last year and a half, I’ve made some significant edits to the content I’m viewing, and It’s helped a lot. If someone’s views don’t align with mine but I don’t want to delete them, I start by muting them for 30 days. This allows me to take a breather from seeing their posts without actually damaging any relationship we may have. After the 30 days are over, if they’re still posting things that stress me out, I mute them again. There is also no shame in editing your friends list to remove people completely.

I’ve also been actively trying to set my phone down more and do things outside of social media. I’ll admit, I get a certain amount of FOMO if I’m not checking social media regularly- BUT I’ve discovered that there is also empowerment to be found in being offline and living life ( real life) offline.

2- Make time for self care

During the last year, I’ve really amped up my self care routine- partly due to being in my 30s now, and partly due to the need to unwind and pamper myself. When we get caught up in the stress of whats going on around us, or the routine of every day life, it’s easy to forget to prioritize our needs. Something as simple as taking a long bath or shower every day can do wonders for your mental health.

3- practice breathing

I recently learned about box breathing, and I swear it’s changed my life. You breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold it for 4 seconds, repeat. I use box breathing when I’m feeling anxious or overwhelmed, and I can visibly see my heart rate slowing on my Fitbit- it’s the best. I feel SO much more calm immediately after.

4- make time for hobbies you enjoy

I’m not talking about your side hustles, or a work related hobby, I mean a real, purely for enjoyment hobby that you can do in your spare time. When a hobby is attached to money, like a side hustle, it takes some of the original enjoyment away from it and adds pressure. I love writing, and love my blog, but I’m trying to make a business out of it, and that makes it feel like work sometimes. Having a hobby just be a hobby means you can pick it up and set it down at your leisure, with absolutely no stress attached to it. I have a bad habit of trying to turn all of my hobbies into side hustles (painting, my concrete work, etc), but I’m working on it. A hobby will temporarily distract you from reality, and sometimes that’s all you need to recharge a bit.

5- get outside

Go somewhere that you don’t need to wear a mask for a bit. Take your dog for a walk, go for a hike, go lay under a tree somewhere and read a book, or take your significant other on a picnic. Fresh air and exercise do wonders- and if your schedule is too busy for the gym (or you aren’t able to go due to pandemic rules), getting out in nature is a great way to incorporate exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise.

6- talk to someone (or don’t)

Even if we have to socially distance sometimes, don’t isolate yourself. Talk to friends, family, a therapist, etc. Also try to regularly check in on your grandparents or other family members that don’t have access to communicate as easily as you do. If you’re feeling alone and like you NEED to talk to someone, reach out.

On the flip side, if you’re talked out, make time for yourself with no distractions. Tell your friends and family that you’re turning your phone off for a day and do something on your own to recharge.

7- take a break from the news

The news can be incredibly overwhelming to follow regularly, so taking a break once in a while is necessary. You can snooze Facebook groups and pages the same way you can people, and sometimes its nice to get rid of the noise. You can continue to follow your government pages for updates on pandemic restrictions, or have a friend or family member who can inform you if there are any rule changes.

8- make short term plans that excite you

It’s SO hard to make any solid long term travel or event plans these days, and not having those things to look forward to is depressing for a lot of us. Making short term plans that excite you is a great way to still have things to look forward to without the worry that it may not happen. This could be a staycation with your significant other, dinner with your friends, a movie date with your kids, etc.

9- focus on what you can control

I’ve had to self isolate a few times over the last couple years while waiting for Covid test results, and even though its only been for a few days at a time, I hated it. I fully understand why I had to, and would never complain about the rules in that regard, but I felt so incredibly unproductive just sitting at home. Because I couldn’t leave my house, I focused on what I COULD do, and that was work on things at home. Right now, we don’t know what’s around the corner with this forth wave, and a lot of us feel like things in life are completely out of our control. Focusing on things you can do (home projects, making healthy meals, etc) helps us regain some of that control.

10- make health & mental health a priority

Making health a priority during a pandemic is easier said than done, but even little changes have a big impact in the long run. I know a lot of people who have been putting off getting seen for health issues because of pandemic fatigue, and most hospitals being over capacity.

Last night I left work early and drove myself to the ER for severe chest pain. I had been having chest pain (along with dizziness and numbness and tingling in my arms) off and on for about a month, but put off seeing the doctor. I ended up making an appointment last week, but it’s not until early November. Yesterday at work I was hit with a severe squeezing pressure in the center of my chest, going straight through to my back. It was so bad it completely took my breath away and I felt instant panic. The pain felt similar to a blood pressure cuff squeezing around your arm, but in my chest instead. I naturally assumed I was dying- BUT being me, my first reaction was embarrassment because I was at work, and then guilt for going to the ER during this crazy busy time. I quietly emailed my manager and let her know I had to leave, and drove myself to the ER.

The waiting room was PACKED with people, which made me feel even more guilty for being there, adding to the pile. My pain had somewhat subsided by the time I got there, and was at a 3 as opposed to an 8 like it was at work. They immediately took me in for an EKG, then sent me back to the waiting room with everyone else. At this point I assumed I wasn’t in any immediate danger of dying right there, but still had an uncomfortable pain in my chest, and dizziness.

During the time I was in the waiting room, several more people piled in. I watched as the welcome desk got bombarded with people who were irate that they couldn’t bring a friend or family member in to wait with them, people who had non-emergencies that were irate at the wait times, etc. I mention this as a reminder that we really should only be going to the ER for emergencies during this time- but DON’T put off going if you feel it may be an emergency.

I waited in the waiting room for about an hour before they called me back to a room. I was placed in a room with another patient- an 89 year woman who had overdosed on weed gummies. Needless to say, she provided constant entertainment while I was there with things such as begging the nurses not to tell the church on her.

A nurse came in to take my blood pressure, and put a line in my arm for blood work. She said they may need to do more, so putting a line in was the easiest option. After that, the doctor came in to speak with me. I wish I could remember his name, because he was hilarious, and literally the best ER doctor I’ve ever had. During the series of questions, he asked if I smoked weed and I said no. He answered with “Whaaat? Why not, it might help”. He also explained that he wanted to do X Rays to make sure I didn’t “have a big tumor in the middle of my chest or anything”, and kept me and gummy grandma laughing the entire time.

In total, I was at the ER for about 3 hours. During those 3 hours, the doctor came in several times to ask me about my symptoms, chat about possibilities, ask about my family history, go over my blood work with me, etc. He was extremely efficient and covered all the bases. He said since I’ve been having pain off and on for a month, with 3 really painful episodes like this, he didn’t think it was cardiac pain. He also didn’t think it was a pulmonary embolism (I just started a new birth control about a month ago, so it was a concern) because the pain wasn’t consistent, it comes and goes.

After all of the tests, he told me my X-Rays look clean, I have the “blood work of an Olympic athlete” (I’m assuming that’s a good thing), and my blood pressure was only 115/77. He said he can’t say for SURE what it is, but he ruled out a few things that it isn’t. Based on my symptoms, he thinks it was an esophageal spasm, which can mimic heart attack symptoms. He gave me a prescription that should help, and if it doesn’t help, we can rule that out too and go from there. It was a really positive experience, and it’s comforting to know that potential serious medical issues are still being taken seriously during these times.

All of that to say, we need to take our own health seriously. I put off going to the doctor because I didn’t want to be another person clogging up the waiting room, but putting it off just fueled my anxiety, which is the last thing we need in the middle of a pandemic- more anxiety.

They always say that any time you’re experiencing chest pain, you should go to the hospital, but I put that off because I didn’t want to bother anyone. I feel like we do the same with mental health a lot. We don’t want to bother anyone, so we suffer in silence instead of making the necessary calls and appointments we need to. During times of high stress, like a pandemic, it’s crucial to make our mental health a priority. If any of you need to talk to someone, my DMs are always open.

how are you guys feeling? if you’ve got any tips on how to help with pandemic fatigue, comment them below!

D