Isolation Fatigue

In the last few days I've had a few friends mention how tired they are, and I know for myself  I have been getting tired a lot more easier then normal.  So I decided to look into if social isolation can cause fatigue.

The answer is yes after months of social distancing, the uncertainty that has come with the pandemic, and routines being lost with people working from home, or the loss of employment, to shops, cafes, pubs, and gyms being closed has lead to many of us feeling fatigued.

This fatigue is not only down to our routines becoming irregular, its also a result of us getting less daylight as we spend more time indoors.

So what are some things we can do?

Going outside for a daily walk, but also taking your tea or coffee break outside as well, will help to get you more daylight.

We're all on Zoom calls for various meetings throughout the day, but choose 2-3 Zoom calls with friends and have a more meaningful conversation.

Avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms.  Alcohol purchases have increased since the pandemic began, along with this, over eating and binge watching Netflix, be careful to know the difference between self-care and self-soothing.

Acknowledge your emotions, it doesn't matter if its boredom, sadness or anger, acknowledge that it and let it go.  Feeling emotions is showing yourself some self-compassion.

Be kind to yourself and take small steps to bring back as normal a routine as you can at this time.