Covid Burnout

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you use the links posted, a small commission is given to me. I am currently participating in affiliate marketing with Amazon and Google Adsense. These affiliate links are at no cost to you and are yours to use at your discretion. Thank you for stopping by my blog and I do hope you enjoy this post.)

Almost a year has passed since we have all left the old world and retreated into the homes we now occupy 24-7 (team “home all the time”); that being said, I thought it would be helpful to remind you all (myself included) how incredibly strong and resilient we have been this past year.

Who knew that staying home was heroic? I think we can all agree when I say that no one really saw that last sentence as a truth until 2020; perhaps in the era of the Spanish Flu, but definitely not in the age of tech or in the era of doing more; when what this past and current year has shown us, is that sometimes doing less is doing more.

We entered our homes thinking it would be a two week stint of home fun and it’s been extended indefinitely. Mentally, that can be a lot to take in……. but if we had known back in March of 2020, what we know now, I wonder how much harder it all would have been?

With that in mind, my own perspective between lockdown 1.0 to lockdown 3.0 (because of the fluctuating restrictions and lockdown variances) has really shifted and I want to share with you what I have found helpful, so that maybe you can also find a glimmer of hope in this never ending cycle of “today was yesterday and is also today,” rabbit hole way of thinking.

It really is all about your attitude and sometimes your attitude may need an adjustment and sometimes you’re allowed to be grumpy, moody and not your best self…..but we must always check back in with ourselves and ask ourselves, is this where we mentally want to stay?

Acknowledge your feelings and your surroundings, sit still or don’t sit still….do whatever works for you…… but know how to balance yourself back if you can.

Is it normal that we are in this predicament? Absolutely not.

Are we the first generation to face a pandemic? Again, absolutely not.

Can we feel sad while also acknowledging that others have it much worse? Yes.

Are we allowed our feelings? Yes.

Normalizing the many feelings we feel each day and taking time out for them can be very helpful in this current world climate.

The other thing worth mentioning is the mental and social burn out of living through this pandemic.

Is this the part of the pandemic we are in? I think it is. A lot of people have admitted that they have run out of things to talk about with others. Maybe you’ve seen the meme going around social media’s varying platforms?

Is there also good news in the fact that we have run out of things to stop talking about? I think, yes. Maybe the conversations we need to be having right now are conversations with ourselves (and not others) and maybe some of those conversations we need to be having are with God (insert what your higher power is here).

After we’ve dealt with our emotions, our thoughts and our feelings we can begin to focus on what we can do in the now and what we actually do have control over.

Personally, I like to make a to-do list and journal.

Some weeks I am the golden child of to-do lists and sometimes when I am really burnt out, I laugh at my to-do list because it isn’t getting done in any certain order; the point is….If I write it down and see it and focus on it (in my minds eye), even if I have stopped focusing on my to-do list (physically), I mentally know what steps I need to take; the pressure is off and freedom awaits and all I have to do is to get moving.

Next, I take lots of breaks and sometimes I procrastinate, but the point is…….it all is getting done because it has to get done.

Sometimes we can be too organized and sometimes the organization needs a vacation and that is okay too.

After the feelings and the to-do lists I like to offer myself lots of patience. Like, a lot of it. Patience and perspective is everything.

Some people have not had a hug in almost a year……. It’s been a lot and there is not really a rule book for how to handle this time apart from the world, other than to sit with our feelings and damn, that can be uncomfortable, yet so helpful in letting yourself be fully loved and integrated with where you’ve been and where you are going by yourself, for yourself.

Other parts of taking care of ourselves are finding little pockets of normality in the day to day; carving out rituals that make us feel part of the world, even though many of us are seemingly so far removed from it.

Planning outfits for the day is actually helpful in quarantine (for me anyways), even if that outfit is lounge wear (sometimes I make it fancy)…….

Getting ready for the day, even if the outfit isn’t jeans and a full face of make-up; just getting ready for the day in the way that works best for you, is a game changer and often it lifts my mood instantly.

Second to last, is meal planning like your grandmother and your parents.

I don’t know about you, but planning about 3-4 meals a week means I get to intentionally carve out time to chop veggies and make delicious meals for myself….it also means lot’s of yummy leftovers that I do not need to think about and can have on rotation for the entire week.

I was unaware of how stressful creating meals daily was for myself, to the point that I actually was like…. “this is madness and it also isn’t working.”

The brain fog I felt every time I would need to make a grocery list was getting out of control and I even told myself the biggest lie, “that I just didn’t know how to create interesting meals anymore.” As long as I had my “staples” on my grocery list, I was doing alright, but the truth was I needed variety.

That, and understanding that creating delicious and thoughtful meals, and spending time away from a screen let’s you actually check in with yourself (also, sitting at the table instead of watching TV while eating…..Epic fun, truly).

Grab a cookbook, sit with the Pinterest app and pick three to five meals you want to cook for the week and see how it changes your life.

Finally, what I have found to be helpful is daily walks in nature. I have to do this because I have a dog and it’s what she needs, but her needs also feed my soul as well and it teaches me to slow down because I am a very task oriented person who always needs to be doing something.

Dogs literally have to smell every bush, tree and mound while basking in sunshine with their face turning towards the sun, enjoying every small detail, and that is exactly how I have learned to slow down….through the eyes of my dog (laugh if you must, but it gives one perspective).

So, I hope this blog post brings you some new ideas on how to engage daily with yourself in this weird time and if you have other tips and tricks on how you’ve been staying sane, feel free to leave a comment below.

You’ve got this. I’ve got this. We’ve all got this.

But, if you do not have this and are going through very serious things that only a licensed professional can hep you with, I am going to leave some important information down below and help is always available.

This is the suicide hotline’s phone number: 800-273-8255

This is the number for the crisis text line: Text HOME to 741741 for free.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800.799.SAFE (7233)

Rainn National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800.656.HOPE (4673)

International Women’s House: 770-413-5557

Please take care and I will talk to you soon.

Nikita