218: Collective Stress, Burnout, and Coping Through COVID Times

Today’s focus comes from what has been on my mind and what I hear from many people. Families are feeling the squeeze right now with collective stress, burnout, and trying to cope in the middle of these COVID times. What we are all dealing with and the length of time we have endured this stress so far has many people hitting a wall with their mental health. Join me for this discussion! Show Highlights: Why many of us feel jaded because of all that COVID has messed up for us How anxiety, hypervigilance, and the pressure of decision-making have added to the constant stress of managing everyday life for expectant moms and those with new babies How COVID decisions have brought conflict and confusion between families and friends because of varying perspectives Why we aren’t built to withstand this kind of collective stress and trauma for extended periods of time How our bandwidth for stress has decreased since there is no good place for our frustrated feelings to go–and each new wave brings more uncertainty The value we can find in validating our stress and calling it what it is instead of pretending that things are normal How do we cope when our normal self-care outlets don’t help us? Why we need to view self-care with a new perspective Suggestions for easy self-care practices: Consider unplugging from social media and news outlets at times. Step outside or open a window to breathe fresh air. Move your body or stretch as your body allows. Find ways to connect with people whom you trust. Listen to music or watch movies/TV shows that make you feel good. My advice: Ask yourself, “What is ONE thing I can do today that will help me just a little bit?”