Collective Exhaustion – Why you are feeling it and why it’s okay

AFTER more than 14 weeks of COVID-19 lockdowns and a pandemic, we are all feeling a little weary, and no wonder. First, we were all a little scared, unsure, worried and there is no doubt we had a reason to feel this way. Then of course, we worked from home, and perhaps still are. Some of us stayed away from the news cycle, because it was mostly the same, unfortunately it felt like the world we knew was slipping away somehow.

Now, we are seeing a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and are eagerly awaiting the time we can bust out of our cocoons and rush out into the world, but why are we so tired? After all, we have not had the daily commute, the kid’s lunchboxes or any of the other daily necessities of life, so why the exhaustion?

We possibly all feel the same, it’s what is termed a collective exhaustion. Don’t worry, it’s normal.  What can you do about it?

I wondered why last week, I felt kind of drained, that my normal pattern of my daily routine was interrupted by a somewhat overcoming feeling, not because I had watched the news cycle of COVID-19 or any other depressing news story. I had reached collective exhaustion.

“We are never turning off,” says Dr Gabrielle Francis, naturopathic doctor. “This syndrome is known as wired and tired. It can manifest as fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, overwhelm, irritability, depression and other stress relation symptoms.” The feeling that we need to stay on top of things, and ready to tackle every issue head on can take its toll indiscriminately.  The fact that we are at home has led to increased eating of the things that are not going to assist us like snacks, lollies, cakes, plus white rice and potatoes all are high glycaemic foods, which cause a rapid spike in blood sugar.  Self-medicating in times of uncertainty will not help us.

Get offline. It’s time to put down the laptop, mobile phone and turn off the news cycle, get outside, take a long walk, get on your bike, do some yoga or just sit outside with a good book. Do what I did this week, caught up with two people, we had lunch, no phones, no laptops, a glass of champagne a nice long lunch, we laughed, cried a bit too, and talked a lot. You can do it.

Find a good book, or the dog and get outside while you can and enjoy the world. COVID-19 is not a sprint, we are in the for the long haul.  Most of all take care of yourself.