Lately, when my alarm goes off in the morning, I dont want to get out of bed.
Im up, but honestly, I dont want to be.
Theres also the obvious fact that its winter and cold outside of my bed.
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But Ive also noticed that my motivation seems to fluctuate withCOVID-19 waves.
It isnt just waking up, though, thats become more of a challenge in these past two years.
Working as a psychiatrist has also been extra fatiguing.
Were all tired, and talking about exhaustion over and over again is, well, exhausting.
Im a psychiatrist and Im feeling it too.
Two years into the pandemic, we are way past flight-or-fight mode, which gives us energy.
Instead, our reserves are depleted and our body responds with exhaustion.
We feel like we shouldnt be exhausted.
But that doesnt make our pandemic fatigue any less valid.
We havent had a chance to process what happened.
A week of vacation wont cure our exhaustion, either.
Most of us are carrying unprocessed grief, stress,and trauma.
Its still hard to plan for the future.
We also cant decide what we can actually plan for in the future.
Can we have birthday parties and weddings consistently again?
Can we go back toholidays with family?
I know that my work will stay heavy and hard for years to come.
There will be no real return to normal.
It isnt as if all of our daily pandemic stressors will suddenly be gone just because restrictions are lifted.
We may continue to struggle with our daily structure and getting ourselves up and dressed for the workday.
Its also hard to feel connected to people over a screen, so working remotely can feel lonely.
Others of us may bereturning to an in-person workplacethats changed.
We may have new environments and protocols to adjust to, putting stress on our already taxed brains.
Interacting with other people, including coworkers, requires more energy too.
Truthfully, I can barely handle one now.
Simply put, for most of us, going to work wont be the same as it was pre-2020.
How do we stop this endless loop of stress and fatigue?
Unfortunately, declaring our love for someone a la Bill MurraysGroundhog Daycharacter wont break the cycle.
But acknowledging and validating our feelings can help.
For example, maybe youre angry and your instinct is to tell yourself you shouldnt be.
Instead, try saying, Im angry and thats okay.
Even as someone who basically works in feelings, I had to teach myself to stop pushing them down.
Pausing to feel is an act of self-care that can lighten our emotional load.
