For the past year I have noticed a recurring theme when talking to family and friends. Although we have all had varying experiences through the pandemic, coming out the other end of lockdowns with the return to a new normal there is a common feeling that comes up again and again. No matter how much sleep we salvage, how many holidays we have or the degree to which we do all the self-care things, we are still exhausted.
During the pandemic we all became familiar with the post-viral symptoms of COVID-19 fatigue and were well versed in the effects of Pandemic Fatigue, which the World Health Organization describes as “a natural and expected reaction to sustained and unresolved adversity in people’s lives.” But now it seems adversity and fatigue are here to stay, and many people can’t seem to get back to their full vitality.
What is fatigue?
Fatigue is not just tiredness or drowsiness, where you feel you need to sleep. It’s a deep lack of motivation and desire to act. It expresses itself in disengagement, apathy and hopelessness. Fatigue can be detrimental not only to your physical health, but your ability to work or get through basic daily necessary actions. It can limit your ability to take care of others and yourself, and this lack of self-care in turn leads to further feelings of fatigue, continuing the cycle.
Causes
Physically it can be due to a number of illnesses and viruses, or lifestyle factors such as alcohol, poor sleep or lack of exercise. Mentally it can be triggered by many states including anxiety, stress
