disTraction #152 – Absolutely Sick and Tired of the Pandemic?
You’re hardly alone. In an article by Alex Janin in the Wall Street Journal, she reports some interesting findings. According to the General Social Survey, a sociological survey conducted by research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, 24% of Americans reported they were “not too happy” with life in 2021, up from 13% in 2018. Also, the share of people who said they we “very happy” declined to 19% from 31% over the same period.
According to psychologists, we’re feeling a different kind of unhappiness now than we felt at the beginning of the pandemic.
Vaile Wright is a clinical psychologist and senior director of healthcare innovation at the American Psychological Association. She says the fear and anger we felt in the beginning has dissipated and given way to dejection, melancholy and what some people refer to as whiplash. The feelings of hope we had after the first round of COVID or when the first vaccines were available have been dashed by the emergence of new strains.
According to Dr. Wright, “There’s this sort of sense of almost giving up, that people have tried to do the best that they can feel like it’s not getting better.”
As we approach the start of the third year of the pandemic, psychologists reports that many people feel depleted and are unable to complete daily routines. This phenomenon is called resilience fatigue. According to Brad Kennedy, chief operating officer of addiction-treatment center Driftwood Recovery, this phenomenon is the exhaustion that comes after a prolonged period of having to stay motivated or positive.
“On mile 18, everyone questions whether they can finish the marathon,” Mr. Kennedy says. “But now imagine the finish line is moving.”
Psychologists also point out that the dropping temperatures and darker days of winter aren’t helping. They encourage hibernation and make it harder to socialize outside. For some people, seasonal affective disorder can make things worse.
However, mental health specialists say it’s not hopeless, and there are things you can do to feel better mentally and physically. Here are several:
1. Accept that we will need to learn to live with the virus at some level. The highly contagious Omicron variant has pushed many health care officials to lean toward learning to live with it rather than trying to eradicate it. According to Dr. Wright, acceptance of reality is a good first step toward coping.
“When you reach the point of acceptance, it opens up different avenues for asking yourself the question, ‘How can I create a life that’s meaningful even during the third year of the pandemic?’ I think that helps counter some of that hopelessness.”
Focus on what you can do,” says Mr. Kennedy, “Rather than what will the next variant be?”
2. Redouble your self-care efforts. Mental health experts recommend getting outside, giving priority to a healthy amount of sleep, and practicing mindfulness or meditation.
Give priority to quality over quantity when it comes to social connections, Dr. Wright says, which may mean spending more time with a close-knit group of friends and family and spending less time on screens. Mindlessly scrolling on social media can increase stress and make you feel more alone. Any steps you can take to relieve stress can be helpful.
3. Pursue a new hobby. Mental health professionals say that finding new outlets and new interests can help fight feelings of stagnation. Try replacing the hours spent watching Netflix. Some examples of new things people have taken up include crosswords puzzles, remote chess games, making flower arrangements, learning to paint or draw, taking piano lessons or learning some other musical instrument, even a miniature harmonica.
Look into the countless do-it-yourself projects. Attack the home projects you’ve always ignored because you didn’t think you could do it.
Anyway, here’s to a happier year three of the pandemic!