Just when most of us had gotten our booster shots and thought that we could throw away our masks, new variants of the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged. As a result, we have had to resume mask wearing and social distancing. And in the coming months, we will refrain from inviting friends over for dinner, and some of us will resume working from home. Not surprisingly, most of us are experiencing “pandemic fatigue.”
I’ll admit that the pandemic is discouraging. There doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. And it’s hard to accept that wearing masks and social distancing may be practices that will be with us for the foreseeable future.
So, it’s important to find ways to manage our natural feelings of malaise that have come from this on-going pandemic. Below are some approaches for dealing with pandemic fatigue so that you can feel good about life, even under these trying circumstances.
Do What You Can
Many people are frustrated by the pandemic because it forces us to face our own powerlessness. The reality is that we have little to no control over most things in life. For instance, we have no control over tornadoes, economic downturns, and global pandemics, just to name a few.
So, when faced with that which we cannot control, it is critical to exert our power over the one thing we can control – ourselves. And that means doing everything that we can as individuals to combat the pandemic.
For example, in our family, we’re all tired of the pandemic. My husband travels for business, and wearing a mask for long plane flights is not fun. My daughter is a college student and has spent her first two years of college masked and tested for COVID 2-3 times a week. Not the typical, fun-loving college experience. Since the pandemic began, we’ve missed holidays with family members and dinners with friends.
Nevertheless, we’ve decided to accept life as it is, and we’ve decided to do our part in stopping the pandemic. So, we’ve all gotten our two vaccination shots and the booster. We do our best to social distance in public. And more recently, we’ve resumed mask wearing.
Our family has taken control over the one thing that we can control – ourselves. We’ve decided to do our part in ending the pandemic, and doing our small part keeps us from feeling discouraged.
And that is the key when faced with any frustrating situation. Do what you can, accept what you cannot control, and then enjoy life anyway.
Do Something Enjoyable with Your New Found Free Time
One benefit of the pandemic is that most of us have more free time than we used to. Our schedules just aren’t as busy. We have fewer social engagements because people reasonably are wary of getting together. Many people are working from home which frees up time that used to be spent commuting.
Instead of bemoaning the fact that your social calendar is nearly blank, why not view this period as an opportunity? Pick up a new hobby. Read those books that you’ve always wanted to read but never had the time. Learn a second language. The options are endless for the ways that you can use this new found free time to your advantage.
For example, pre-pandemic, I had overloaded my schedule. I constantly was running around, and I rarely had a moment to myself. The pandemic put a dead stop to all the superfluous activities in my life. And even though we now are almost finished with the second year of the pandemic, I haven’t refilled my schedule. I like the blank space on my calendar!
It’s good to have the time to just be still. I’m delighted to have the time to sip a cup of tea and read a good book. And I’ve been spending more time trying to work on my meditation practice. Frankly, if there ever was a time to work on your personal development, it’s now.
So, instead of viewing the pandemic as a loss of your former routines and fun activities, look at it as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to relax and reflect. It may be a time to learn new skills, like a new language. Or take up a hobby. If you view this change in lifestyle as an opportunity to grow, your pandemic fatigue soon will go by the wayside.
Stay Connected … with the Right People
The changes in lifestyle brought on by the pandemic are stressful. You can’t add to that stress the challenge of dealing with difficult people. That is why it is a good time to weed out the people in your life who are a problem.
There are some people in our lives who like to create drama wherever they go. They pitch fits, complain and just are temperamental. And when life is good and problem-free, those folks are manageable. We can patiently tolerate them.
But you cannot compound the stress of the pandemic by also dealing with difficult people. It may sound harsh, but now is the time to stop dealing with the problematic people in your life in order to preserve your sanity. And if you can’t eliminate these folks from your life entirely, at least keep them at a distance.
I’ve struggled with this concept over the years. But at a certain point in my life, I came to the realization that difficult people actually don’t want to be in a relationship with me! I realized that if someone wants to be in a relationship with me, that person will be kind, pleasant and respectful toward me. By contrast, if someone nags me, complains and demands their own way with me, it reasonable to deduce that he or she really doesn’t want to be in a relationship with me.
If you are dealing with that kind of person, now is the time to face the tough fact that he or she is not truly interested in having a positive relationship with you. That person may be your spouse, a family member or a friend. Admittedly, that fact is a tough pill to swallow, especially if it is someone who is close to you.
So, if you are suffering from pandemic fatigue and need an emotional and mental break, do some spring cleaning of your relationships. If there is someone who primarily brings aggravation and negativity to your life, stop dealing with that person (or dramatically decrease your time with them). Trust me. That person will be sad for about three seconds that your relationship is over. Then he or she will move on and find someone else to drive up a wall. In the meantime, you will have preserved your sanity!
These days, with no end to the pandemic in sight, it is understandable that you may be getting pandemic fatigue. If you are feeling fatigued, know that you are not alone! Try applying the approaches above to be happy and sane, even in the midst of a pandemic. (To read about ways to deal with change, click here.)
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.Ecclesiastes 3:1 The hardest part Read more
There are times in life when our circumstances can prevent us from being relaxed and happy. Dramatic changes like a Read more
When we are young, we seek many things in life. Adventure. Professional success. Romance. But as we get older, and Read more
There is always the potential for stress in our lives. Sometimes that stress is created by others. Sometimes we create Read more
The holidays can be difficult for many adults. That is because we have an idealized view of what Christmas and Read more
Achieving inner peace is challenging. It's not something that comes naturally to us. The human mind searches for things that Read more
Recently a friend of mine turned 50. When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said, “Peace.” Read more
“It ain’t over till it’s over” – Yogi Berra Yogi Berra made the above comment during the 1973 National League Read more
