Signs You’re Suffering from Mental and Emotional ‘Corona Fatigue’

You know when you have an underlying headache and it makes you highly annoyed at everyone and everything around you? Well, there’s a worldwide headache that’s been going on for a few months now. It’s the Coronavirus situation.

As the COVID-19 situation drags on and on and on…you may be suffering from a mental and emotional corona fatigue. A more accurate term is actually “Coronavirus Quarantine Fatigue,” because the ongoing quarantine conditions are nestled neatly at the core of it all.

Signs of ‘Corona Fatigue’

• Irritability and agitation
• Stress and anxiety
• Change in eating or sleeping habits, doing notably more or less of either
• Decreased productivity and motivation
• Racing thoughts

Anyone familiar with depression or PMS will definitely notice many of the same symptoms are on the corona fatigue list. But you don’t have to be familiar with either to get the general gist that these symptoms stink.

And Then There’s the Grief

Grief is another layer of the situation that could be weighing you down. We are, after all, grieving the life we once had – topped off by fear or anxiety that we may never get it back. The stages of grief may weave in and out of your days, mingling keenly with the rest of the symptoms. The stages of grief can come (and return) in any order. They are:

• Denial: I can’t believe this is still going on?!
• Anger: Enough already!
• Bargaining: Maybe if I pray really hard or repeat 500 mantras each day all this stuff will go away.  
• Depression: What’s the use of doing anything with all this stuff going on?
• Acceptance: It’s happening and there’s nothing I can do about the overall situation. Although I can make any changes I need to keep my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states at their best.

What Can Make It Worse

Day-counting how long you’ve been living differently. That’s like constantly picking at scabs, or poking at a toothache just to see if it still hurts.

Watching the news. Please. Is there ANYTHING uplifting about what you’re watching or reading? Then shut it off, shut it down and read or watch something that makes you feel good instead.

Stuffing your emotions. Pretending you’re “just fine” even when you’re not. Stuffing feelings always backfires. It’s also a surefire way to consistently end up drunk, stoned or in the throes of a massive stomach ache from eating a whole box of Twinkies in a single sitting. Believe me, I’ve been there, done that.

What Can Make It Better

Accepting the situation and moving forward. Yeah, I know. Sometimes that is waaaay easier said than done. But it CAN be done. Just because you accept something doesn’t mean you like it. It just means you’ve come to a place of knowing there is nothing you can do about it.

Insert the Serenity Prayer here if you wish, as it sums it all up nicely:

Feeling your feelings is another must, as it’s the quickest way to move forward and start healing. Allowing your feelings to surface also allows them to be processed and released. And no matter how awful, terrible, painful they feel, they are not going to kill you. If they did, I would be dead about 600 times over based on some of the treacherous emotions I’ve lived through.

Talking about your feelings has always been a highly effective way to get all that processing started. In fact, one of my favorite fortunes (that still hangs on my wall somewhere) advises:

Joy shared is doubled. Sorrow shared is halved.

Schedule a free 30-minute Happiness Check if you want help unleashing your feelings and spot-checking where you could make some changes.

Most important of all, hang in there! Nothing lasts forever (even if it feels like it might). No matter how long a thing has stretched on, change will come. Your mission while you wait is to get those heavy emotions out of your soul so you can move forward with a lighter and brighter step.

Are You Suffering from ‘Corona Fatigue?’ – Video

Signs of ‘Corona Fatigue’ – Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS