With so many of us staying at home to keep COVID-19 cases down and our families safe, many of us are struggling with burnout. Burnout is a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion that’s brought on by prolonged stress.
With a possible vaccine for the novel virus still months away and many of us being unable to see our friends or participate in our usual stress-reducing activities, it’s normal to feel emotionally drained and overwhelmed right now. In fact, up to 21% of public school teachers report that student apathy is a problem in their school.
So what can you do to fight burnout during COVID-19 as a family while staying safe and protected against the coronavirus? Here, we’ve compiled a few ways to help you out.
Take a safe day trip
Approximately 92% of employees say vacation time is important to them, but many of us haven’t been using our vacation time to relax during the pandemic. While you might not be able to safely travel like you used to, you can still find a way to take a safe day trip on the road. Consider packing up a bag of some of your favorite foods and taking a drive to check out some of the great sights around your town. With the trees changing color, you can turn a plain drive into a scenic mini-road trip.
Get outside
You don’t need to visit public places to enjoy the great outdoors. If you’re working from home and your kids are learning from home, trying to unwind at home can be a little difficult. Consider going for regular walks, jogs, or hikes around your local area. In 2017 alone, approximately 60 million people participated in running, jogging, and trail running. Walking and running outdoors is not only great cardio but it also helps to relieve stress. Even just looking at trees and plants can help to relieve stress because the greenery encourages your brain to produce serotonin, one of your brain’s happy hormones. Looking for family therapists Sacramento call Stephen Taft, Marriage & Family Therapist.
Take some alone time
It can be challenging to find some peaceful quiet time when you’re quarantined with your family. If you have a partner, consider setting up break times for each other where one of you watches the kids and the other relaxes for 15-20 minutes. Use this time to unwind, whether by reading a book, meditating, or playing บาคาร่า99 to help relieve stress and enjoy a little fun. If you don’t have a partner, but your child is old enough to read on their own or watch television, consider setting a timer and telling your child they need to read, play, or watch their show until that timer is up so you can take a break.
Set up a light therapy box
With winter coming and the days getting shorter, there’s a good chance your burnout could get even worse with seasonal affective disorder coming to town. To help keep yourself in better spirits, consider getting a light therapy box. A light therapy box mimics natural sunlight and can help you fight back against SAD as long as it’s 10,000 lux. Put your light therapy box on during the early morning and during the late afternoons when the sun starts to set early. This will not only help your mood a little but it can also help to get your sleep schedule back in order.
Burnout can be tiring, especially when you can’t get a break from the things you really need a break from like pandemic-related stress. By following the tips above, you may be able to relax a little and find a way to fight back against your burnout as a family.
