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