Yes, COVID Fatigue is a real thing. We’re all experiencing feelings of frustration, uncertainty, doubt (of others and ourselves), fear, anxiety and depression. Literally every day I hear questions like “Do masks really work?” and “When will this pandemic end?” and “Who can I trust to provide reliable information?”
In prior blogs, I’ve mentioned reliable resources like the CDC as well as state and city government online resources. Today I am providing additional resources that are easier to read and digest.
CNN has assembled a panel of seven experts whose thoughts are based on science rather than opinion, personal gain or politics. They provide good advice on how to deal with the daily challenges of going to the store, visiting family, eating in a restaurant, going to the doctor’s office, etc. Click here to read this informative CNN article.
NPR also published an article with reliable science-based answers on navigating our daily risks and challenges of the pandemic. Click here to read NPR’s article.
One last suggestion. Take a few minutes to read an article from The New York Times on doomscrolling. Doomscrolling is reading and obsessing about every detail, every update, every tidbit of news about the pandemic, the COVID-19 virus, politics of public health, what type of mask Gwyneth Paltrow is wearing, etc. Click here to read the New York
Times article on doomscrolling.
Now, dear friends, enough blog reading. Enough COVID-19 discussion for the day. Put aside your justified fears and uncertainties. Shut off the media, your screens, the rumors and politicizing. Please go outside and take 5 deep breathes of fresh air. Go for a walk or a run or a hike. Have a picnic in your backyard. Write a letter with pen and ink to your best friend. Pick up the phone and connect with a college friend (or high school sweetheart). Write a poem. Knit a sweater. Do something that will make you feel better about the world and about yourself.
Tomorrow morning, take 10 minutes to read a few updates on world events then shut off the news cycles and social media for the day. You’ll be amazed what you can do with all that extra time you’ve freed up by not doomscrolling.
Nurture yourself every day. Do what you can to take care of your neighbors and your community—wear your face covering, wash your hands, continue social distancing and stay safer at home.
We are a strong nation and we will, as we have done before, find our way to better times.
