Crisis Fatigue
Written by Sarah Kleiner
Feeling fatigued and bored with low-level depression and lack of joy lately? These are the symptoms of many syndromes and illnesses, but before you worry too much, consider if what you are suffering from may be a form of ‘crisis fatigue’.
Crisis fatigue is a relatively new label. It’s a relevant term that aptly describes the ho-hum headachy feeling many have after navigating the pandemic, losing friends or loved ones, and following details of tragic events in the news.
Changes have come to all in the world due to the pandemic. Many have had job changes. Working from home may have sounded good temporarily, but the isolation and chronic Zoom meetings have become suffocating to most. Worshiping online instead of in person, exercising at home instead of at the gym with others, and drinking coffee on the phone instead of at a coffee shop with friends cause feelings of isolation for many.
Life goes on beyond the pandemic and added to the bickering over masks, vaccines, and political issues, some have dealt with personal issues. For some, their marriage has crumbled. Others have dealt with trying to homeschool their children while working full time. Virtual doctor appointments have replaced in-person visits and surgeries have been postponed. Others have dealt with job loss, business collapse, and other issues not easily solvable. All these concerns fall into the category of crisis and, when challenges pile up, depression, fatigue, and illness can result.
Adopt The Label if You Need To
If you’re the type of person who is helped by self-diagnosis, hearing the term ‘crisis fatigue’ may give you hope. You will understand there is a good explanation for why you feel the way you do. It’s not all in your imagination. You don’t need to just toughen up or take more vitamins.
When the pandemic first struck, many people buckled down and became creative. Books and songs were written, breads were baked, and walks became long hikes. But as time wore on, the commitment to endure the new lifestyle diminished. But now that you have a label for how you’re feeling, you can study the term further and learn of some therapies to apply to yourself.
Counteracting crisis fatigue includes more than following the positive thinking prompts so many share on social media. The problem with positive prompts is that they can put undue pressure on a person insisting they cheer up when they really aren’t equipped to do so. If you find you are barely able to raise your head above water, scroll past the fluffy positivity posts and find someone safe to talk to about what you’re really feeling. Don’t bottle it up. Lay it on the line and then take baby steps to help counteract it.
Symptoms of Crisis Fatigue
The symptoms you feel may vary from those listed online. Some professionals suggest cognitive and emotional disruptions are the easiest symptoms to identify. Cognitive and emotional disturbances found in those with crisis fatigue may include lack of focus and motivation, missing feelings of joy, increased worry, anger, tension, moodiness, and anxiety.
Depending on what a person has been exposed to, or what has become unbalanced in their life, they may be burdened with feelings of despair and chronic grief. Physical symptoms can arise from such emotional challenges. Some report muscle tension, headaches, insomnia, or oversleeping problems. Others report a new diagnosis of high blood pressure or diabetes (perhaps from all the baking they’ve consumed during the pandemic), and others are left to deal with long-haul covid issues.
What To Do
By now you probably want to know what to do to help yourself walk through crisis fatigue. First, realize that what got you here was a lengthy process of several things piling up on top of one another. You don’t reverse such stress quickly with one spa weekend (though that would be a good start). Here are a few tips to consider as you make a plan for how you will rebound out of crisis fatigue:
1. Step Back
To rehabilitate from crisis fatigue will mean many different things for different people. For most, it means withdrawing from the thing or things causing your stress. Can you step back from reading the news? Should you have less screen time? Can you remove yourself from the work tasks you find most taxing?
2. Set Boundaries
If your spouse likes to share horrific details going on in the world, ask them not to. Limit the amount of news you watch and read. Limit your time on social media because you can’t be sure who will post something triggering. Add in boundaries between work and free time. That can mean making divisions between where you do your work, what you wear when you work, and the hours you keep.
3. Get Outside, Enjoy the Fresh Air
You might want to have a physician check your vitamin D levels. They can also check for any other nutritional deficiencies that might be affecting your physical and mental health. Even if you aren’t suffering from a vitamin D deficiency, it can still help to ensure you’re getting plenty of vitamin D each day.
Getting a good amount of sunlight each day can ensure your body absorbs more vitamin D. Foods and drinks such as fatty fish, egg yolks, and fortified orange juice can also help. Taking a daily vitamin D supplement is also a great idea to ensure your levels remain consistently high, especially as vitamin D contributes to healthy bones, teeth, and muscles as well as your mental health.
4. Rest
Take a duvet day–meaning, spend the day in bed with a coffee, fresh water, and snacks. Have plenty of books to read, a puzzle to do, a journal to write or draw in, or magazines to flip through. If you have a TV in your bedroom, turn it to a nature channel. Turn the sound off if it’s not relaxing and play calming music instead.
5. Put a Check on Compulsions
Another one of the simplest yet most effective ways to improve your mental health is to reach out to your friends more often. Isolation and lack of social contact can make you feel more depressed and anxious, whereas hanging out with the people you love can have a huge positive effect.
6. Schedule a Worry and MeditateTime
Maybe your worry time will be when you awake. Maybe it will be mid-day when you’re outside. If before bed works for you, do it then. Here’s how to spend it: for the first few minutes, recite your worries and feelings. Do so out loud, in your head, typed into a document, or written in a journal. Next, pause, taking deep breaths, and then switch your thoughts to thankfulness and stillness.
7. Help Someone
If you’re constantly feeling stressed or anxious, you can do wonders for your mental health by figuring out the things that are impacting your mental health negatively. By identifying common stressors and eliminating them, you can improve your quality of life significantly.
8. Limit Yourself
It’s no secret that physical activity can do wonders for your physical and mental health. Not only does exercise release endorphins that make you feel happy, but it’s an excellent way to relieve stress and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
9. Watch Your Thoughts
It’s easy to name all that’s going wrong or could go wrong in life, but that will only add to your stress. Instead, take note of the positive, beautiful, and enjoyable things in life. Track the smallest progress you make in a day and pat yourself on the back for what you’ve done.
10. Talk to Someone
Sometimes depression can be caused simply by monotony. If you’re doing the same things all the time, you might feel trapped or bored with your life. That’s why it’s extremely important to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
Even something as simple as taking a walk to work instead of driving can help you improve your mood. However, you should also push yourself to try new activities, such as a new sport, class, or hobby. Not only will this help you feel more excited in your life, but it can also be very rewarding.
You can even take things further by taking trips to new destinations or even changing your entire life by moving or becoming a digital nomad. Whichever way, finding ways to spice up your life can help you prevent tedium and also help you avoid mental health problems.
Conclusion
These are but a few tips to guide you into understanding what might be going on in your life right now. To conquer your funk, withdraw from the stress that’s been plaguing you as much as you can. Then, become aware of those things that trigger you and make changes.
Once you withdraw from stress, don’t stay there. Replace it with good things–a healthy diet, time in nature, and doing things that bring you peace and joy. Then, set some new goals and take small steps toward them pacing yourself.
There have been real factors that have influenced the way you feel now. One by one, you can dismantle their power by becoming aware of what crisis fatigue is and deciding if that’s what you’re struggling with or not.
You are not responsible for most of the issues that have caused crises in your life. For some, it’s merely their strong empathetic nature that gets them into emotional trouble. How much attention you pay to what comes your way is what makes the difference in how you feel. So set boundaries!
Remember, clawing your way out of crisis fatigue isn’t necessarily going to be a quick process. Study the term and become mindful of the daily choices you make. Focus on what’s in your control and leave the rest. It’s time to reignite your passions and become who you were always meant to be.
