COVID fatigue challenges Idaho during stressful pandemic. Take care of yourself, others

It has been a challenging fall semester for both faculty and students at Boise State University. Earlier this week, I attended a virtual self-care workshop focused on preventing or recovering from burnout in general and from COVID fatigue in particular. This seminar made me realize that other people are experiencing similar emotions and feelings during this pandemic. This was a valuable experience for me personally because it taught me how to better take care of myself and how to take care of others in my circle of influence.

The stressors that people are experiencing this year can be as extreme as losing a job, a business and even potentially losing one’s home. These are situations where government support programs and moratoriums on evictions are the answers for reducing stress. For the rest of us, we are all experiencing stress because of the pandemic, and we must recognize how it can affect our lives.

You must have heard “COVID fatigue” from a health expert. This term refers to the fatigue that we all feel after several months of this pandemic. Some of us are tired of being cooped up at home and tired of being restricted in our normal activities. Many of us have become more anxious and are afraid of catching the coronavirus. During the seminar, some attendees revealed that they had noticed a change in their sleeping pattern, and even experienced racing thoughts and panic attacks.

One consequence of this collective fatigue is that it is making some people careless, one reason that COVID-19 is rising sharply again. We have seen people traveling to see their relatives during Thanksgiving. It is already stressful enough to travel across the country to see your relatives. Now imagine the added stress of taking a test before departure and after your return to make sure that you are not contagious and endangering the lives of your relatives.

Facing this fatigue is important to our personal health in the coming months, until most everyone is vaccinated and this pandemic is beaten. We must recognize and understand why people feel so frazzled. We need to realize that abnormal is the new normal. We understand why people are willing to take risks to travel. They want to hold on to the traditions that give meaning to their lives. However, the health experts are asking us not to travel, to be patient, and to wait out this pandemic for a few more months as the holidays approach.

How can we help ourselves during this time? We need to develop coping skills. Exercising daily is the No. 1 best thing we can do for coping. My wife and I take daily walks along the Boise River, usually going 2-4 miles. This exercise releases endorphins and gets some of the adrenaline out of our system. Just getting out and moving makes us feel rejuvenated and able to handle the daily challenges.

Talking about our feelings and emotions is important. Some workshop attendees acknowledged that they had a short fuse and a quick temper because of their stress level. It is not healthy to ignore or keep your feelings bottled up. At some point, you will lose control and let them out. If you are a passive person, you might become tearful or start crying. If you are an aggressive person, your feelings of anger may be directed toward others. Sadly, the recipients of this anger could be your loved ones sharing the same home with you. Sadly, alcohol and drug abuse are on the rise during this pandemic, and so is domestic violence.

Praying, meditating or doing yoga are other ways to cope with stress. Our seminar facilitator showed us a simple exercise of deep breathing for relaxation and stress relief. I am familiar with breathing techniques from my yoga classes. In my case, I noticed that my blood pressure dropped significantly with simple breathing exercises. As a practicing Muslim, I diligently pray five times a day. It is a time for myself when I look inward instead of outward. I shut out the sounds and worries of this world and try to quiet my mind as I focus on the divine reality.

Lastly, just like I was reminded that I needed to improve my self-care during this pandemic, I also need to care for the people in my circle of influence. These include my wife, my neighbors, and my students and colleagues at work. In addition to taking walks, my wife and I are also cooking together and trying out new keto recipes.

During the seminar, I realized that I needed to reach out more to my relatives overseas and find out how they are doing. I have found my daily walks as a way to stay connected to my neighbors, even if our chats happen across the street from each other. Above all, I am trying to focus on what I am grateful for instead of what I am missing.