Stressed and Overwhelmed? Here might be the Reasons for You to Feel Crisis Fatigue!

28 Jul, 2020

• Whenever a certain pandemic hits the world, it impacts human life in an overall way. Coronavirus has not only disrupted business operations but human life as well, especially our mental health.
• Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak started, we have been into an entirely different mental zone, with days, weeks, and months passing by in the same state and everyone experiencing ever-increasing feelings of stress.
• These, coupled with multiple political protests have made people experience intense emotions like anger, anxiety, and fear consistently.
• Such prolonged effects on mind lead to Crisis Fatigue!

Interesting Stats/Facts

• When the human mind is faced with a threat like COVID-19, the adrenal glands resting on top of your kidneys flood the body with the stress hormone cortisol. This puts you into the fight-or-flight state, with most of us now going into the exhausting flight state involving ‘no-fight’ with the virus.
• Most of the people struggling with COVID-19 have already experienced mental torture against SARS (2003), bird flu (2005), swine flu (2009), MERS (2012), Ebola (2014).
• As per the latest international study conducted over 3,500 people, the COVID-19 stress has led to negative effects in relationships, adding to more stress in the lives of couples and people eventually.
• It has been found that people not sheltering in place (37%) were less stressful than people sheltering in place (47%).
• The same research showed that job loss associated with increased distress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression might lead to higher chances of suicide or substance abuse.

What is Crisis Fatigue?

Crisis Fatigue is all about experiencing intense emotions of stress, depression, and anxiety over a long period of time during a crisis that leaves a deep impact on our mind and body. As per Dr. Petros Levounis, chairman and professor, psychiatry department, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, people go through three crisis stages:

1. The Heroic Stage- This is the first stage of the crisis where everyone gets together, trying to figure out the adoption of strategies to tackle the problem.
2. The Honeymoon Stage- This is the second stage of the crisis where everyone feels good about being part of the community in experiencing and dealing with the problem equally.
3. The Disillusionment Stage- This is the third stage of the crisis where everyone struggles fighting the crisis and finally starts giving up. This is our present stage that is leading us towards crisis fatigue.

Crisis Fatigue Symptoms

As per Levounis, there are several symptoms of it, and a person experiencing crisis fatigue usually has a combination of two or more symptoms. These are as follows:

• Feeling highly anxious/hyper aroused.
• Feeling highly irritated/giving disproportionate emotional response even upon a gentle reminder of the crisis.
• Feeling withdrawn from society and the world.
• The problematic: zero anxiety/carefree attitude towards crisis situation and effects.
• Other symptoms may comprise changes in appetite, sleep patterns, normal routines, etc.

The Preventive/Tackling Steps

The Do’s

• Levounis suggests the following to prevent and tackle crisis fatigue:
• Prepare yourself mentally by telling this is beyond your control, and you need to stay strong until it is gone.
• Take care of four physical wellness essentials i.e., exercise, nutrition, sleep, and sex.
• Stay connected with family members, society, and friends via social media platforms, phones, chats, and more to curb isolation.
• Engage in stuff that takes your focus away from lockdown and virus like playing indoor games, watching favorite movies/shows, cooking, etc.
• Preserve routines to maintain life normalcy.

 The Don’ts

• Firdaus S. Dhabhar, Ph.D., department professor in Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, explains:
• Don’t expose yourself to news feeds concerning coronavirus 24/7 and limit your media exposure.
• Do not neglect people around you, especially the elderly and the ones who are vulnerable.
• Do not underestimate the power of yoga and meditation to fight stress, especially during a crisis.
• Do not go into the self-harm mode like indulging in drugs and alcohol, increasing your stress levels eventually.
• Do not stop wearing a mask just because you think you have little to no control over the situation.

 Conclusion

• Undoubtedly, coronavirus has brought in a lot of stress for individuals, businesses, and government organizations across the world. Since no vaccine is available yet to cure this disease, people are losing out on their strength and hopes, all leading to enhanced stress and crisis fatigue.
• However, we need to understand and have faith that we will definitely win over coronavirus sooner or later and need to become strong mentally as well as physically. We must not lose hope and indulge in practices or behaviors that lead to self-harm and higher chances of contracting the virus. The aforementioned practices will surely help you in not only preventing crisis fatigue but tackling it too.
• If anyone in your family/neighborhood is feeling overly stressed, experiencing crisis fatigue symptoms, or having any other health issue, you must consult your primary care provider to ensure adequate Physical& Mental Health.
• In case you are looking for a renowned and trusted provider, feel free to contact the expert team of Central Valley Medical Providers.
• For additional information, please enable our Customer Service Department to serve you at (877) 216-4215 or local: 559.450.6334.

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