Over the past two years, we have experienced repeated outbreaks. In the long marathon fighting against the pandemic, experiencing fatigue is almost inevitable. Most of us are experiencing higher levels of stress, anxiety and fatigue. Unfortunately, these emotions are not always beneficial nor constructive, and at higher levels it might even negatively impact our emotions, physical and mental health as well as interpersonal relationships. The most important thing is knowing how to cope with it
In the face of adversity, there are four main aspects in which we can try to cope: understanding our emotions, changing our daily life habits, maintaining a good social support network and staying resourceful. It is of utmost importance that we know how to take care of ourselves, and this will allow us to help, protect and care for those around us too.
The circumstances and situation will differ for every person, and it is important not to excessively compare yourselves with others. Naturally, we all respond to stress in a different manner. If our stress response continues to intensify and even affects our daily life, work performance and interpersonal relationships, it may damage our physical and mental health. In these cases, you should seek appropriate assistance in a timely manner, including professional help such as family doctor, counselling, social worker, just to name a few.
1. Understanding and acknowledging your emotions
Physical and mental health always affect one another. During our journey against the pandemic, we may be emotionally affected (these emotions may include feeling anxious, frustrated, stressed, insecure, sad, and angry, just to name a few)and this may be as a result of environmental, personal, social or work-related changes. Unfortunately, these emotions will likely come and go. We need to remind ourselves from time to time that emotional ups and downs are a natural reaction to stressors. However, we need to pay attention to whether these negative emotions will continue to spiral and fall into thought traps which will plague us all the time. Learn to pay more attention to our thoughts and inner emotions, understand and accept our emotional reactions, and not to always expect ourselves to recover instantly. Maintain positive beliefs, recall the situations and mentality of successfully overcoming past difficulties as this will give us strength to face current difficulties. Trying to adjust our thoughts and feelings in a timely manner can help reduce the impact of stress, find ways to solve problems, overcome difficulties and maintain more stability.Ultimately, this is an effective way to maintain our stamina to keep running this marathon against the pandemic.
2. Changing small daily habits
Everyday, give yourself as many small breaks as needed. Maintain adequate rest to allow your body and mind to recover and let go of the worries and stressors of life and work. Developing and sticking to healthy lifestyle habits can improve our mental and physical health. Besides getting enough sleep, a healthy diet and moderate exercise can go a long way towards stress reduction and our physical and mental health. We can also explore and enjoy leisure activities as much as we can, including trying new activities, learning new skills, and giving ourselves space and time that is completely our own. At the same time, we need to pay attention to our emotions and feelings, as mentioned above. Most importantly, these healthy life habits and changes need to be sustainable, and we must maintain consistency in order for it to be effective.
3. Resources and social media, receiving information in moderation
It is important to receive important information during the epidemic, but there is also a chance that the excess information can be mixed with some unconfirmed information. This is commonly spread through social media. In order to avoid panic, we need to remind ourselves to remain calm and objectively analyse the information and make sure that the information is true. This should also be done before transmitting information to others, and this will help reduce the unnecessary panic arising from false information. It is worth noting that we also want to avoid excessively re-reading information and constantly searching the Internet for the latest information. This increases our stress level and causes us to over-worry, making it difficult to relax. We can schedule times to receive information, such as every morning and evening, to keep ourselves updated without over-receiving.
4. Social support
When faced with difficulties and under stress, the understanding and support of others can help immensely. We all need extra support, help and encouragement from others. By receiving help and sharing it with others, we can effectively strengthen our ability to withstand stress and even speed up recovery. This support system can come from family, friends, therapists, counsellors and social workers, to name a few. There are also a lot of psychological support services. You are not alone!
The future may seem uncertain, and there will always be difficulties to overcome.We must be patient and deal with all situations in a calm manner. We should remind ourselves that irritability and anxiety are one of the signs of stress.When these signs appear, it means that we should take a step back and look at the bigger picture to reassess the problem, then make realistic plans and actions to take small steps one at a time, and celebrate little victories. This will help us keep going in the long run, and reduce the chance of fatigue.
There may also be unpredictable external factors that may suddenly occur to all of us, such as suspected infection, community isolation, etc. We need to remind ourselves emotionally to be flexible and stay resilient. Understand that the situation is temporary and focus on doing the things that we can control instead.
In the face of adversity, we will develop resilience in the process and gradually become stronger. It is time to give yourself a hug and see how far you have come in your journey, and always celebrate all the little victories. By understanding your emotions, sticking to healthy daily habits, maintaining good social support and being resourceful tactfully, it will help us continue this marathon against the pandemic.
Going to therapy can also help you cope with fatigue and stress. Try Soulgood today
