The year 2020 has been a very turbulent year for all. From continuous systemic racism in the US, political protests across the globe to the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed many lives and put the rest of our lives on hold, many individuals have reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, anger and fear among other negative emotions. However, it's important to first understand why we might feel these negative emotions before figuring out how to deal with them.
Researchers at Ohio State University have coined the term ‘Crisis Fatigue’ as “a phenomenon that occurs as the body attempts to adapt after feeling overwhelmed and stressed.”. Scientists believe that this phenomenon occurs when environmental causes put the body’s natural stress response into overdrive [1]. To say that many of us are currently experiencing some form of Crisis Fatigue is definitely accurate.
Given the fact that we are still some time away from figuring out the pandemic and improving political situations globally, there definitely must be some ways out there on how we can cope with Crisis Fatigue. Here’s some recommendations from us at Lifebeats.
Start/increase exercise levels
Exercising and keeping an active lifestyle increases our endorphins which allow us to feel happier and reduces stress levels. This is especially important to combat Crisis Fatigue and brings about many other health benefits such as reduced probability of heart disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
The main challenge in maintaining an exercise routine is actually starting one. Try out one of our fitness motivational therapies on Lifebeats now to get mentally ready and psyched to start your fitness routine.
Structure your day
Isn’t planning and adding structure supposed to induce more stress?
Well, not exactly, when you take into consideration that structuring your day eliminates the need to always remind yourself what needs to be done and when. Following routines and implementing structure has shown to reduce anxiety levels as it removes most unexpected situations. Anxiety can further exacerbate Crisis Fatigue and removing anything that might increase it is definitely beneficial.
Get enough sleep
Being the best version of yourself can help you overcome Crisis Fatigue and one way to ensure that is by getting enough sleep every night. Sleep experts recommend between 7-9 hours of sleep everyday.
Common tips to ensure a good quality sleep include avoiding using your mobile devices and any electronic device that emits blue light (TVs are included) at least 30 minutes before your bedtime. Also ensure you have a fairly consistent bedtime everyday so that your body does not get confused, this can prevent you falling asleep easily and contribute to poor sleep quality.
Binaural beats therapy has also been shown to improve sleep quality while helping individuals fall asleep faster. Try out some of these options on the Lifebeats app here.
References:
[1] Galligher, A. (2020, June 11). How to cope with 'crisis fatigue'. Retrieved September 5, 2020, from https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/how-to-cope-with-crisis-fatigue
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