How to Cope with Quarantine Fatigue
Nearly seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, the effects of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread are revealing themselves. If you are starting to feel a deep sense of fatigue and noticing some lingering depression, know that you are certainly not alone in those feelings. Now more than ever, people are reporting experiencing quarantine fatigue. And with a vaccine looking more and more distant by the day, experts have begun pointing out that we might not see a return to normalcy until 2022. The prospect of years of living with masks and social distancing has a lot of people feeling deflated. Here are some ways you can try to cope with quarantine fatigue, especially if we find ourselves in this for the long haul.
Symptoms of Quarantine Fatigue
Quarantine fatigue, or “COVID fatigue” as some are calling it, can be a dangerous phenomenon. After months of isolation and quarantine, people are tired of everything: tired of being afraid and tired of being isolated. These feelings combine to make people careless with the safety precautions that are still necessary to curtail the spread of the virus—and without these precautions, dangerous increases in infection rates can follow.
This reaction, however, is quite normal in terms of typical community disaster responses. In most cases, the initial reaction after a large-scale disaster, like an earthquake or a hurricane, is for people to pull together and work hard to help everyone around them. There is a bracing sense of community and support even for strangers that helps us get through the stress. But as disasters drag on and the return to normal life never seems to happen, people may begin to feel disillusioned and frustrated. That phase is what has brought on quarantine fatigue.
How to Cope
Coping with these feelings is possible, fortunately. First, remember that you’re not alone, and this is an extraordinary year—global pandemics don’t happen often, and most people aren’t feeling their best. Let yourself off the hook and remind yourself that it is OK and natural to feel bad when bad things happen.
Beyond this, experts recommend exercising when you can, practicing mindfulness and gratitude, and talking about how you’re feeling. Holding those feelings and thoughts inside only makes them worse, and talking, even if it’s just with a family member or a close friend, can help you find some relief. Don’t hesitate to talk to a professional therapist or counselor if you feel like you need more structured, intensive support.
It can also help to limit your exposure to social media and the news to just once or twice a day if possible. Constant bombardment with negative news about the pandemic can be exhausting, and cutting out that 24/7 cable news coverage or “doom-scrolling” on social media can help. Find hobbies you can enjoy and stay connected with family and friends. It may be some time yet before we comfortably find a “new normal.”