How to Get Over Quarantine Fatigue

How to Get Over Quarantine Fatigue

We are a social animal, and any control over social engagement ignites natural resistance from within. The current social-distancing requirement, created by the deadly pandemic of coronavirus, is also creating some kind of internal resistance, which is culminating the form of fatigue. The self-imposed distancing creates a sense of mental confinement. The feeling being confined, cribbed and cabined results in symptoms like body ache, tiredness, and disinterest in doing even routine activities. 

You are not alone, as almost everyone is passing through the same phase. It is perfectly normal to feel disconnected and lethargic as we are uniquely wired to flourish in the social ecosystem where we cohabit and comingle and cooperate to achieve goals.     

We are amidst the battle of survival, and the only possible visible solution is to maintain social distancing. The stay-at-home advisory, along with the looming economic uncertainty, is bound to have a serious effect on physical and mental health. Frankly, it was all great at the beginning of lockdown, at least in my case, as I was using the isolation very productively. But, now, I am experiencing fatigue and lack of interest in pursuing my passion. I was a bit confused about the development as I stopped doing my regular exercises and blog writing. The disinterest in doing anything is making personal and professional things worse as I am wasting too much energy in over-thinking, which is making fatigue more intense.  

Since I was concerned and confused about the change in my attitude, temperament and behaviour, I started doing some research. To my surprise, several people were sharing the same kind of behavioural changes on Instagram. A doctor shared a post elaborating the “quarantine fatigue”, and reasons behind behavioural changes happen during such scenarios. I did some research further, and thankfully I found reasons why I have developed such physical and mental fatigue. Fortunately, there are tons of excellent research explaining ways to overcome this mental fatigue, and in the current scenario, we can say it quarantine fatigue.   

Among several remedial measures, highlighted by mental health experts, one standard remedial measure is the boosting the dopamine level in your body. In simple language, this is the hormone that is responsible for motivation and happiness. The positive situations stimulate the release of the hormone in the right doses. Whether it is surprises, creative spark, sense of accomplishment, reward, the sensory inputs trigger dopamine release. But when you are in self-quarantine, the lack of sensory triggers limits the release of dopamine, so the fatigue and body ache is the natural outcome of the dopamine imbalance. 

So, the best possible way to overcome the quarantine fatigue is to maintain a healthy daily routine. Following routine gives you a sense of accomplishment, which helps in triggering the dopamine release, and you feel motivated to achieve a higher goal. But, you have first to motivate to stick to your routine to trigger the chain reaction. Just keep on doing it, and I am sure you will overcome this fatigue in a few days. 

Your routine will boost the reward centre of the brain and will feel uplifted. It might look challenging initially, but keep self engaged in creative works like dancing, singing, cooking, or whatever gives you the joy. An empty mind is your enemy, so keep it busy in things that give you visible results like rearranging furniture etc. The idea is to recreate your environment and have some outcomes of having a reward trigger. Fun and laughter is the best therapy to come out of anxiety, so do anything that brings that smile on your face and keeps home atmosphere lighter with full of laughter.  

Tough in such situation, but your body needs activity for proper metabolic functioning. Above all, you need stringer immunity to fight this battle of survival. Just 20-30 minute of warm-up and a balanced diet will keep you physically and mentally fit.    

The whole idea is to maintain the balance of chemicals present in your brain. The right mix of hormones will create a perfect cocktail to improve conflictive function, mood, and memory. In reality, it will strengthen your capacity to deal with random and unique challenges of life. Frankly, the current crisis is unprecedented, so nobody knows what is going to happen. Still, you need to be physically and mentally fit to face challenges because things are not going to be same, it least in short-term. 

You have to recreate the right atmosphere for the mind to work in the desired way. The brain naturally needs the optimum flow of dopamine. But, when the flow gets disrupted due to lack of sensory stimulus, the reward-seeking behaviour goes towards extreme and rational arguments. So, try to live your normal life and do things that help in triggering the dopamine in the right doses. Stay healthy for a better living.