Pandemic fatigue

The COVID-19 pandemic, the protective and confinement measures, and their many consequences can easily affect our mental health, even triggering disorders such as anxiety or depression. Despite this, a certain level of anxiety and alertness is necessary for people to freely and rigorously adopt the recommended precautionary measures in the context of an infectious outbreak.

So, what happens when the pandemic situation drags on? How much stress and anxiety can we endure?

One year after the start of the pandemic, physical distancing measures, reduced social interactions, mobility restrictions (perimeter lockdowns and curfews), restrictions on economic and work activity remain in place, and we are largely exhausted.

We are entering a "psychological hibernation." As British psychologist Emma Kavanagh states, "We had an initial layer of physical and mental strength to cope with the restrictions and effects of the coronavirus, and it has simply been depleted."

For too many months we have been exposed to chronic stressors and we may feel:

• Physical discomfort: headache, fatigue, muscle tension.
• Anxiety and restlessness.
• Irritability.
• Sadness.
• Lack of motivation.
• Difficulties with attention and concentration.
• Sleep problems.
• Memory problems.
• Changes in our behavior: eating more or less than usual, doing less physical activity, increasing tobacco and alcohol consumption.

We feel worn out, exhausted, fed up with the coronavirus. So much so, that it's becoming increasingly difficult to follow the recommendations and restrictions imposed by the authorities. And it is this demotivation to comply with protective behaviors and recommended safety measures that the World Health Organization (WHO) calls pandemic fatigue .

Things you can do to feel better

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This arises gradually, over time, and is influenced by our emotions, experiences, and personal perceptions, and we must understand it as a natural and expected response to the prolonged health crisis and the severe measures implemented.

Pandemic fatigue affects the general population, but it can be more pronounced among the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or people with underlying health problems, people who live alone, people with some type of disability, as well as health and social care professionals and other frontline workers.

To maintain public compliance with current measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and prevent new waves of infection, it is necessary and urgent to address the rising levels of pandemic fatigue.

Dainius Pūras, the United Nations Special Rapporteur and a psychiatrist at Vilnius University (Lithuania), believes that "it is imperative that the burden of managing and coping with the social, financial, and mental health impacts of COVID-19 does not fall on individuals, but that they are well supported by medical care and other social services."

The pandemic is here; the fatigue and exhaustion it causes us is here too.

But we can adopt activities and attitudes that help us feel better. Some of these might be:

1. Maintain contact with our circle of trust.
2. Sharing our concerns and those of others.
3. Take care of our physical well-being, do physical activity and try to sleep well.
4. Doing things we enjoy.
5. Take time to relax and focus on the present.

And let's not forget that, whenever we need it, we should ask for help.