Health

Quarantine fatigue: Why we had more fear at 1,000 cases than 1,000,000 cases

BOSTON — Let’s take you back exactly two months ago.

The World Health Organization just announced COVID-19 was a global pandemic. The NBA had just suspended it season and President Trump was adding several international travel restrictions. At this point fear began setting in even though the U.S. had only just surpassed 1,000 cases.

Fast forward now to today where we are approaching 1.5 million cases, but that quarantine fear has become quarantine fatigue.

“We have been living in a hyper-vigilant state of fear now way too long so people are emotionally saturated, they are worn out, they are tired of this and fear almost becomes normalized,” said mental health counselor Dr. Gregory Jantz.

The only thing normalized two months ago was empty toilet paper shelves because of fear. Now it’s normal to see fatigued people protesting to reopen or even protesting for ice cream.

“I did an experiment and I asked the checkout clerk what are you selling the most of and she said it’s not toilet paper it’s alcohol, we can barely keep it on the shelves,” said Jantz. “So people are starting some new habits which are turning into addiction which people are going to later regret.”

Mental health experts say quarantine fatigue has more people coming to them for depression and anxiety.

“If you already struggle with anxiety, the grim news about the coronavirus – and the fears you associate with that - can cause you to go to a deeper level of depression – which can be the tipping point to the dangerous feeling of despair. Done on a global scale, we could be looking at a panic pandemic," said Jantz.

Now the fear at this point is that fatigue could lead us to a second surge in cases.

“We’ve got to keep practicing what I’m going to call good self-care. People are falling into routines that are destructive, the routine of too much digital,” said Jantz. “They need digital detox. The routine of sleep has been very disruptive, routine of using food, alcohol has been bad.”

In a panic? Hit “reset”:

Jantz recommends the following to break the cycle of anxiety:

- Pause and drink 12 oz of water

- Eat a protein bar/drink a protein drink

- Write your concerns in a journal, and rank them from 1-10 on a "fear scale," to discover which fears have become irrational

- Walk intensely for 20 minutes

- Carry a "truth card" - an encouraging verse or a positive affirmation, like "I am strong, bold and courageous"

- Allow for plenty of time for renewing sleep

Take a Breath – Literally:

“So much can be accomplished just by focusing on the simple act of breathing. There are a variety of breathing techniques which can lower our physical response to anxiety," Jantz said. "The 4-7-8 breathing technique, also known as ‘relaxing breath,’ involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. This breathing pattern aims to reduce anxiety or help people get to sleep.”

When Self-Soothing Becomes Self-Destructive:

“When we struggle with anxiety, we tend fall back on self-soothing behaviors. While those are comforting, self-soothing becomes an issue when we use them to avoid an issue, and then become addicted to overuse of food, alcohol, medication, internet time, etc. as a coping mechanism," he said.

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