Lockdown or pandemic fatigue– Ways to Cope

Lockdown fatigue is the term that experts call the exhaustion that people are facing after the varying degrees of lockdown imposed in the city from March 2020.

- Dr. S.N. Aravinda

As the lockdown has led to people suffering stress and uncertainty, loss of jobs and social connection, there is a kind of emotional fatigue that has set in. It is a feeling of being constantly tired or lethargic caused by the emotional impact of the pandemic and the consequent lockdowns. Although many people are unable to identify the reason behind their fatigue, this is a feeling shared by many across all ages, be it adolescents who are unable to play with their friends, teenagers who are adjusting to the online style of learning, working professionals who are feeling burnout, or the elderly who are trying to adjust – regardless of what they’ve been up to that day.

How do you know if you are suffering from pandemic fatigue?

If you feel exhausted throughout the day for no apparent cause, are not getting adequate sleep, tend to dwell too much on the future and uncertainties associated with it, are finding it difficult to focus on the tasks at hand and have given up on trying to maintain a routine, you may be suffering from pandemic or lockdown fatigue.