Fighting Pandemic Fatigue
hmm
the sound of an alarm clock an alarm can
have different meanings
it can say wake up in the morning
one may wake up with different feelings
fresh
happy but perhaps also tired
or not so happy does anyone recognize
this
if we take the world as an alarm it
could also mean
wake up world covet 19 is real and we
need to do something about this
an alarm can have many reasons often
it triggers a feeling of alertness in us
but what to do when the alarm keeps
going on
it can make us very tired so
what to do
in the first half of march this year the
dutch prime minister and dutch
healthcare minister
informed the country about the
measurements to fight covet 19.
we still had no idea what was going to
come
we still had no idea how tired people
would be
because of this pandemic pandemic
fatigue is a real thing
and it is getting too many people it is
just one of the ways that covid19
has turned our world upside down and
changed our lives
what are the factors that make us tired
in cohort 19 times
this year has been challenging we have
to follow many rules and that is not
easy for everyone
according to gavi pandemic fatigue
refers to a feeling
of being overwhelmed and that you have
to stay alert
all the time adding there’s an immense
feeling of tiredness
to still follow the restrictions
for some there can be a fear of getting
sick
that makes them tired some may not
care anymore and are very tired of
following the restrictions
for some the feeling of uncertainty that
this pandemic creates
gives them a lot of fatigue there is a
broader spectrum
of what this pandemic does to our energy
levels
and our mental health
covent 19 is an invisible danger
unless you catch the symptoms yourself
or witness someone having them
it is not something tangible and that is
also what makes it difficult to grasp
for our minds
there is misinformation circulating
people
pick up the wrong advice or do not know
what to believe
anymore an example from the netherlands
is that 5g networks
play a role in the spreading of covet
in some countries there is confusion
under restrictions
or it is hard for people to understand
what restrictions there are
this also gives a lot of stress
restrictions can also keep changing from
time to time
this can be when is it compulsory to
wear mouth masks
to when should i quarantine
there’s also a general uncertainty of
the future
how will we continue our jobs what is
the future
of our businesses what changes will stay
in our lives
and which ones will go a lot of people
like to have control
over what is happening in their lives
covet 19 just took most of that control
away
and this can feel very uncomfortable
adding to this during the pandemic some
people
experience social isolation
and when there is a fear of getting sick
constantly watching your environment
avoiding people
and following the news can have a major
impact on someone’s life
it has a big effect on your sleep
emotions and tolerance level
it makes us tired
but what is being tired is tire
just a state of mind
we all can be a little tired after doing
an activity that costs us
energy physically or mentally
and i will give you one important
perspective of
what fatigue is and a way to counter it
that most of us often ignore
fatigue is when the tiredness is often
overwhelming
and is not relieved by sleep
and rest it has to do with both
our mind and our body due to stress
anxiety and pressure you can feel
fatigue
well what’s the first thing that you do
when you feel fatigue
and your energy is drained out
often you eat
you eat things that you think will give
you energy to come back
it could be any food that you normally
eat but
mostly you will go for something that
can give
quick energy it may be cookies
sweets chocolate an energy drink or
something else
filled with carbohydrates fatigue and
what you eat have a relationship
to feel how food and fatigue are related
try the following exercise
do not eat for six hours and
feel the energy level after this
now wait for another three hours
observe the energy level after
increased weight for another three hours
this is how you feel when there is much
fatigue
your mind is less alert and you do not
want to move
as you will not have much energy
our food gives our body energy to
perform
if you find ways to manage the energy in
your body
then you have a strong tool to counter
fatigue
so we need to optimize that energy
do you know what the epicenter is of
energy in our body
think for a while
many think this is our brain but the
epicenter of energy in our body
is our stomach
the stomach has a big role in
controlling
our energy most of the energy in our
body is used by
by our digestive system
if we can spare even half of that
then that energy can be used to tone up
our body
and help relieve fatigue
when we are hungry we look for food some
look for food all the time the morning
for breakfast
in the afternoon we call it lunch and in
the evening we call it dinner
in between we eat snacks or drink
different beverages
as our stomach is our epicenter food has
also
a central role in our lives
but then our stomach and digestive
system are busy for 24 hours
sometimes above capacity draining our
energy
and then when we eat again more energy
is drained
the cycle goes on
so we need to break this cycle with food
and fix the time to eat
so what do we do when we eat we mostly
do not take the time to finish our meals
in a proper way
if we even if we do not have much to do
we are thinking of something else
and what to do we finish our breakfast
in a couple of minutes
lunch while working and dinner while we
are busy on our social media or
following the news sometimes we are so
busy that we do not eat for hours or we
even forget to take a meal in time
how much time do we take for one of the
most
important parts of our life which is
food two things
play a big role when we eat food
the saliva in our mouth and gastric acid
in our stomach
around 130 years ago a russian scientist
ivan pavlov had discovered the deep
relationship
between food and these two important
parts of our body
he discovered that when you see food the
saliva
in your mouth is already active
similarly when we put food in our mouth
gastric acid secretion is already active
unfortunately we do not give saliva
time to get active
before that we already put a lot of
foods
food in our mouth
and before our stomach has prepared
itself with gastric acid
the food is already in the stomach it
gets in fast
as we are on to finish our meals quickly
we do not give enough time to our
stomach by
first chewing the food sufficiently
with chewing the stomach gets the signal
to receive the food
for proper digestion using minimum
energy
now the poor stomach and a digestive
system have to work hard
draining too much of energy energy that
could have been useful
elsewhere in your body there’s also
a rush of extra blood to the digestive
system
from other parts of the body to cope
with this pressure
and imagine if we are eating the whole
day
what damage are we doing to ourselves
it can also cause that less blood is
going through our brains
due to this and making us less attentive
and less active
then what should we do
how is managing our food one important
way
to counter fatigue
we need to take time when we eat
give your food your full attention
feel it touch it
and build a relationship with it
be mindful when you eat
this food is soon going to be a part of
your body
and it will repair cells it will provide
energy to your heart your brain and
vital organs
so respect the food you are going to eat
what we are now is the result of all the
food
what we have taken in since our birth so
eating the right things that give you
healthy energy
is also important our body is not like
a juice machine when you pay conscious
attention to your food before eating
and give yourself sufficient time to
chew the saliva in your mouth starts to
flow and the digestion process
starts there itself this will also give
the stomach time to optimally prepare
to receive food this will keep your
stomach light
and your digestive system will need less
energy to digest
that means your body will have more
energy in its reserves
and there will be a better blood flow to
your brains
also when we eat in a rush and are not
giving much attention to it
or not taking time to chew our brain
does not get
time to get the signal that you have
eaten enough
and you will then keep on eating before
a signal can go from your stomach
to your brain that you have eaten enough
your stomach is over full
with taking time to eat you are not only
getting more energy
but your body will also need less food
the habit of eating the whole day may go
away
this will also help in keeping your body
weight in control
and increases the energy level
prepare your food also with love and
with care
enjoy the journey and the relationship
you have with it
this is an important part in fighting
fatigue
but what more are we learning what is
important to us
humans are social beings physical
distance does not come natural to us
we were also not used to wear masks
we are adapting to many new habits at
once
new ways of the virus increase the
fatigue
then it goes a bit better then it gets
worse
then it gets better then it gets worse
we are waiting for the cycle to end
social connection not only with others
but also with ourselves
is a basic need we have a need
to connect without it
our health and well-being decrease and
when we don’t connect
we can feel loneliness
but it is not just about being connected
it is about making meaningful
connections
with friends family and also with
ourselves and then connecting with the
wider world
we should not forget about the power of
human connection
it brings happiness and truly happy
people love themselves
enough to take care of their body
just imagine the sight of a
three-year-old
laughing and running around in the sun
in all its innocence being happy
with what the child has
just imagine if you can also feel that
in yourself that happiness
that is where we want to go start with
taking time
to have a meaningful relationship with
your food
and truly taking time for eating your
food
this can be a great first step in
fighting fatigue