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Emmie Grace M. Rizalon

Addressing Burnout and Languishing during this Pandemic

Today's situation can stir up feelings like fear, anxiety, and stress, and sometimes we feel tired and languished. However, persistent or higher levels of stress can negatively impact our physical and even our mental health. Taking good care of our minds will always be necessary, but doing that during a pandemic may be hugely challenging. As a result of these feelings of anxiety and stress, we sometimes get tired and want to do nothing, watch our favorite movies, read books, and listen to songs. Sometimes, because of the pandemic, we feel exhausted, and we have no energy or motivation to do anything.

But even though we experience this kind of feeling, we may still be able to be productive. Don't pressure yourself to complete a task or work that you don't enjoy. Slow down, be patient with yourself, and give yourself time to recover. On that not-so-good day of your life, don't even bother to compare your successes to others. Allow yourself to be. If you're thinking and feeling that way, it's probable that you do have excellent standards for yourself and are disappointed that you've never been able to meet those. Perhaps others, whether your family or those around you, have great expectations of you, and maybe you've been pushing yourself too hard.


You may feel this way from time to time, and it's normal. It's normal because we are human beings, and we have expectations for how our lives should be. Sometimes, we have lost control and don't know how to deal with it. Even our situation today and witnessing the worst parts of society may be depressing, making us discouraged, unmotivated, and weary. We've been busy working too much, emphasizing our productivity, success, and outward achievement. But now, our body, energy, and mind tell us that we all need to surrender our weaknesses, slow things down, relax, take good care of our bodies and minds, and love ourselves. You must let go of your expectations and embrace that you, too, have flaws. It's both challenging and accessible at the same time. Surrender could be difficult, but it is also quite simple since all you should do is let go of all the negative thoughts in your head. Except for meditating regularly, no action is required.


First and foremost, allow yourself to relax both physically and mentally. You have to remove any pressures you may have placed on yourself. Remove all of the 'shoulds' and exit in that trying moment. Stop putting any expectations on yourself; instead, strive to recognize and acknowledge your feelings of likely exhausted or drained. Let your body and mind loosen up and restore. Relax and allow your body and mind to mend and balance themselves. Secondly, show love to yourself. No matter what, be friendly and gentle with yourself. Practice giving unconditional love, which is when you offer yourself the love you deserve regardless of what is going on in your life.

Accept yourself entirely as you are right now because unconditional love is accepting and understanding. Accept your unproductivity to avoid overthinking, which could induce stress. Nothing should be forced, and self-forgiveness should be learned. Allow yourself to forgive yourself for not always being yourself most of your life. Likewise, forgive yourself if you've been harsh with yourself. Keep in mind that wherever you are right now is normal and okay. Another strategy to keep your mind and body in good shape is altering your attention or shifting your focus. We are frequently depressed because we have been concentrating on inappropriate or unpleasant things. When you focus on what is hard, such as a headache caused by too much thinking and concern about your situation, you may feel compelled to give up because you perceive it to be a battle or challenge. That's why focusing on what is simple, such as breathing and meditation, makes it simpler to get through difficult times. So, instead of concentrating on difficult, try to focus on what is easy. Rather than focus on what is going wrong in your life, concentrate on what still has a chance to go well. Actively choose and be mindful of where you focus your attention since it is crucial and significantly impacts your wellbeing. If you'd like more help, speak with a trusted friend or family member. We all need a support system in our life, and if we don't have one, our mental health could suffer. Another option is to consider online therapy such as clinics that provide psychological services or professional counseling that could be easy to reach on social media such as Facebook. These clinics could assess your needs and match you with your licensed professional therapist. This option is straightforward since everything is done online and on your own time. If you want to nurture your mental health with professional counseling, try seeking help from mental health providers near you.


When you're feeling down, the next bit of advice is to refrain from reading stuff that leaves you feeling bad. This contains information that makes you feel awful about yourself or causes you to compare yourself to others. Having free will, we individuals can choose behaviors that will produce a desirable outcome. Social media is full of toxicity, negativity, and pessimistic views in times like this. Hence, to be optimistic thinkers, we must avoid stress as much as possible. Attitudes and actions of other people on social media can affect us, so refraining from using social media like Facebook could help us to reduce our worries in life. Seeing disturbing or anxiety-inducing news causes our body to react with tension. It's good to be informed, but how you manage your social media and information intake can significantly impact your mood. Try and keep your access to the news about the outbreak to a minimum time. It's acceptable if it's challenging to have a positive attitude about something at times. Allow yourself to experience whatever emotions you're experiencing at the moment. You may also go into nature if you need one because being in nature can cure you mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. You will be reminded of the serenity and ease of nature, and here you may rekindle your sense of tranquillity that you cannot reach when you are at the lowest point of your life. Go for a walk outside, visit a park, or travel to the beach or mountains if you have the opportunity. Also, you can try having flowers and plants inside your house because it is believed that the energy of plants and flowers is therapeutic.


Recognize that life occurs in cycles. Life, like the day, and the moon at night, follow a predictable process. As others have stated, the only constant in this world is changing. This only means that life will not be the same. Sometimes we feel like we're on top of the world, and other times we feel as low as the deepest part of the ocean. Embrace and acknowledge both the highs and lows, since without the lows, the highs would not exist, and vice versa. Always remember that everything will pass, that whatever you're going through right now will pass, and that you'll be able to conquer it. You may be going through a difficult time right now, but rest assured that it will not last forever if you help yourself. Stay patient and persevere as your situation and feelings will change. Start with small steps once you've given yourself some time to recover and are ready to take action. Break down your daily activities into the simplest and easiest actions possible. Begin with exercising or stretching for 2 to 5 minutes to improve your mood. We tend to set huge objectives for ourselves; however, when we don't achieve them, we feel like failures and worse. Do as much as you feel capable of, and pat yourself on the back for the minor victories you achieved that day. Regardless of how significant or little the effort is, it's still an effort. This can help you reduce stress and increase your energy to accomplish more.


Finally, and most importantly, be grateful for everything. Make a list of all the tiny things you're thankful for in your life. Learn how to appreciate what is more important and acknowledge that there is always something to be grateful for each day. Be thankful because you're still healthy and free from sickness. Before the pandemic, many of us are focused on work, school, and other things. Even though we have a chance to spend time with our family, still, we refuse to do it due to the things we're focused on. Before, we tended to abuse ourselves at work and didn't give enough attention to our physical and mental health. But today, we realize that physical and psychological health is essential, and this pandemic somehow helped those workaholic people to at least rest their minds and body. We have the chance to bond with our family once again. This situation lets everyone realize that being with their loved ones is much more than money and a career. Express your love to your family and friends and treasure every moment with them because tomorrow is never promised.


These ideas will benefit you since they serve as a gentle reminder that it's okay not to be okay when you feel like you're burnout, languished, or feel like you're tired physically and mentally. I believe you are concerned that if you do nothing, your life will stagnate. That, however, is not true. It's perfectly okay to allow yourself time to breathe and recuperate since we all need it now and then.


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