Even though restrictions around the world have ended and life is returning back to normal, society will have to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for a long time to come. One of the side effects of the last couple of years is something known as pandemic burnout, which has taken a tole on everyone’s mental health.
Julio Licinio is a Physician Leader, Scientist, and Editor-In-Chief of world renowned scientific journal, Molecular Psychology. Today he shares the symptoms of pandemic burnout.
Burnout in any context is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion, and it happens when we experience long-term stress.
This is different from fatigue as a result of having contracted COVID-19. Symptoms of burnout include feeling cynical, being less effective at work, and a deep sense of anxiety. All of this comes from depriving our brain of the rest, relaxation, and fun that it needs. This was all extremely prevalent when the pandemic disrupted everyone’s normal routines.
One dangerous part of pandemic burnout specifically is that people are not as willing to comply with health advice if they are in a state of burnout. This means an unwillingness to wear masks, social distance, and even get vaccines. All of this actually prolongs the pandemic and allows the virus to spread further.
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