Dealing with Pandemic and Restriction Fatigue - using SOULS

As the government reintroduces it’s work-from-home guidance, many are feeling their sense of normality slowly slipping, reversing back to the groundhog days of 2020.

Discussions of reverberating rules and restrictions echoing back and forth can lead one to feel exhaustion, fatigue and anxiety of the future. Recent research has found that although adherence to measures remains high, people are suffering with the seemingly backwards step so close to the festive holidays. This feeling of tiredness and exhaustion is termed “Pandemic Fatigue” or “Restriction Fatigue”, simply put - it’s at the point where short term measures and behaviour adaptations to the pandemic become longer term and longer lasting, without an end point in site. When the goal posts are moved and moved, the sprint becomes a marathon and the adherence to measures becomes more of longer lasting behaviour change, seeping in to our new sense of normality.
 
Psychologists have discussed how is best to cope with feeling of pandemic / restriction fatigue and the ways to adapt over the festive period. Collated are five ways one can try to keep mentally and physically well over the holiday season - SOULS; Sharing is caring, Out and active, Understand the facts, Look to the future, Strength in self-care.

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