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

- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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/MedPRO.
- For additional information, please enable our Customer Service Department to serve you at (877) 216-4215 or local: 559.450.6334.
Read Also: What are the Advantages of Telemedicine?
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