COVID Fatigue

The next topic I thought I would cover is regarding coping with COVID fatigue and burnout. As a parent, I have found it next to impossible this year to cope with the ever changing regulations and guidelines while still maintaining my sanity and the sanity of my three small children. What I have found to be especially difficult is knowing what decisions to make and what is right for my family. The decision of whether or not to send my four year old to school was a really tough one, one that we consulted with our pediatrician and ultimately decided it was not worth the risk at this time. Even though I feel deep down this was the right decision, I have struggled emotionally with this at times. As I see my neighbors and friends return their kids to regular school, I have wrestled with thoughts of whether what we are doing is right and whether my son is going to fall behind.

One thing I have found myself doing and that I am sure many of use have struggled with is judging the decisions of others. I have seen, heard and made lots of judgments about the choices other people have made about their families. I have been told several times I am not making the right choice or that my son needs to be in school. I have been angry or upset with choices other people are making because I do not think they are being safe or protecting their family or by default my family enough. What is so unique about the pandemic is how much the behaviors of others impact us when we choose to spend time with them or include them in our inner circle. We have to worry about who other people have interacting with in the last 14 days and if this could potentially impact my family if we decide to spend time together.

Everyone has had very tough choices to make over the past year. I’m sure we have all doubted or questioned our choices at times and if they were truly the right ones. When we were first told to quarantine for 8 weeks, we thought it was crazy but we had to do what we had to do. However, as the pandemic went on for weeks and months we realized we had to decide what was worth the risk and what was not to keep our mental sanity and the sanity of our children. It seems to be commonplace to look at the behaviors of others and criticize as a way of validating ourselves and the choices we have made. I have found myself looking at other family’s decisions and not understanding why they are doing what they are doing and frustrated with how this could impact my family if I continue to interact with them. However, what is important to remember is that deep down we are all just doing the best that we can. Resist the urge to judge or criticize others as a way to justify your own choices. In my next article I will talk about two more skills to help with COVID burnout and fatigue, wise mind and non judgmental stance.