PANDEMIC FATIGUE

PANDEMIC FATIGUE; MYTH OR REALITY?

It seemed as if things had taken a turn for the better during the fall season as there was a very drastic reduction in new covid 19 cases and it seemed and people were excited at the possibility of everything going back to how it once was, normal!

Right now, though, it seems as if it was all a pipe dream seeing as the new cases have been increasing without fail and this fire has only been further fuelled by the omicron covid-19 variant. It has been reported that the latest increasing number of cases has indeed led to fatigue within Canadians.

The sudden presence of the variant has led to many Canadians feeling like this phase would never pass for good, thus making a larger number demoralized and less motivated to adhere to the various health and safety measures put in place to safeguard them and their loved ones.

Due to the severe level of stress associated with a pandemic like covid 19, there is severe mental strain which inadvertently leads to a lack of care in influencing important decisions or activities such as ensuring one stays 3 feet apart at all times. However, with the pandemic fatigue, it simply no longer comes as a priority for a lot of people to adhere to guidelines given by certified healthcare professionals, because the question in the minds of people is, why even bother when it’s not going away?. Essentially, what the pandemic fatigue does is that it reduces or rather chips away those pieces of information that was used to enhance decision making thereby making those decisions stunted. Various other areas could also serve to increase stress which is very key in being able to recall certain aspects of life.

STRESS AND A PANDEMIC BRAIN

Studies have shown that pandemic brain’ while not actually a medically given term is often used and shows that stress is one of the biggest inducers. The study further implies that higher levels of stress daily due to the covid 19 pandemic can be very strongly associated with ‘pandemic brain’. This is to say that stress experienced as a result of the covid 19 can have a lasting effect on one’s recent, long and short-term memory. It explains that stress can affect certain parts of the brain dealing with current tasks and therefore damaging it over a long time of experiencing stress.

PREVENTING THE PANDEMIC BRAIN

Here, we want to recommend some ways to improve brain activity and reduce stress.

• One of the ways include finding a positive state of mind and living a stress free (healthy) lifestyle which can be achieved through exercise. What exercise does is that it stimulates certain parts of the brain and aid in developing new brain cells to replace those being damaged by stress while fuelling areas that promotes memory.

• Keeping one’s social circle and eating healthy to keep one’s body fit. The social circle helps to keep one socially active and prevent loneliness.

• Volunteering is also a good way to go as it helps to promote general wellness and happiness. It also helps an individual to feel like his or her life has a deeper meaning and reduces depression.

• Keeping your mind engaged in other activities is actually a great way too. Since the advent and the increase of the virus, people have been so scared that they’ve allowed their minds ruminate on this over and over without necessarily engaging in other things. As amazing as keeping tabs on the news is, try and engage in other activities, such as joining a new class, taking that online certification, learning a new skill or even building your garden. These activities would enable you focus more on other things that tend to keep your mind occupied and add value to your person.

     At a first glance, these may not seem like probable solutions to the issue, but professionals have assured that these are sure fire ways to prevent and completely reduce that pandemic brain.

Try and focus your mind, however difficult it is on the positives in everything, for a start, it’s a new year, so you have the opportunity to try new amazing things!

Have a great year ahead and stay safe!