I'm so tired..

Hi Everyone!

"I'm so tired. My shoulders hurt. My neck hurts. My whole body hurts." 
These are some of the words I've heard this past week. 
I've also heard the usual "I'm OK, Aoife" that still sounds tired with the 'sure what can you do?' air to it...

After 5 months of 'pandemic living' a lot of us are feeling tired, annoyed and exhausted. Many feel the physical tension in the body (neck. shoulders, back, hips & knees) and our whole being is pretty much fed-up with everything at this point.

The good news is that we're now moving away from the lockdown and things are starting to open up now.
The bad news is that this means more change and adjustment which will take more resources from us when we're already tired physically, mentally and emotionally.

This "I'm so tired even my tiredness is tried" is called FATIGUE. 
(it’s now referred to as Quarantine Fatigue).

I think it's important that we understand WHAT it is that we are feeling and HOW we can help ourselves –
{I hope you'll stay with me till the end to get to the "How Can We Help Ourselves" part.}

Fatigue is a term used to describe an overall
feeling of tiredness or lack of energy.

When you’re fatigued, you have no motivation and no energy.
Your battery is empty.
Being sleepy may be a symptom of fatigue but, it’s not the same thing of being "tired". Fatigue is when no amount of rest /sleep / coffee / energy-drink will help.

Fatigue in general has many reasons. How it shows-up and how we respond to it depends on each person’s unique life experiences, personality, medical condition.

The mostly Quarantine Fatigue people are experiencing at the moment is because we’re not hitting the OPTIMAL LEVEL OF STIMULATION.

Our physical bodies and our brains require a certain level stimulation to work efficiently and they are BOTH connected to our Nervous System.

For us humans, Under-Stimulation of our nervous system results in lowered motivation and apathy. Over-Stimulation can cause a lack of focus and feelings of overwhelm and anxiety.

Fatigue is associated with a lack of stimulation – not having a change in environment, lack of social interactions and shortfall in human physical contact contributes and affect our well being more than you’d think (even for an introvert person).

When our brains, (the command centre that control our body), is not getting enough stimuli about external environment (physically, mentally and emotionally) it is quite literally starved and cannot regulate properly.

Over-Stimulation happens when influx of information and uncertainty prevails which results in continuous state of fear, worry and anxiety.

Normal routines are gone, we’re working from home, parenting at home ( some struggling with both) and the continues feed from media keeps feeding our survival mechanism of “Fight/Flight” into hyper-drive.
It is exhausting, it’s overwhelming and its hard for us to function properly.

During the past 4-5 months we’ve been constantly in an overstimulated  and understimulated state and BOTH  can have negative impacts and the -Yo-Yo between them is also contributing to our fatigue state.

How You Can Help Yourself (and others)?

💙 CHECK WITH YOURSELF (and others around you).

Remember your physical body and your mind are connected to the same nervous system and together they create the Eco-System of Your Being!
A stressed mental state will create tension and tightens in your body (neck, shoulders, back) AND tightness / tension in your body will affect your mental and emotional feelings!

- Learn to recognise when your nervous system is over-stimulated – and step away from the stressors.
Regulate your system with some deep breath and if you have the time try out this 3-D Breath Workout.
(You can do just the breathing or continue for the rest of the movement practice).

- Learn to recognise when your nervous system is under-stimulated - and change your      environment to create more awareness in side yourself so you get to physically and mentally feel where you are, how are you doing. Go out for a walk, step outside into the rain to feel cold/wet/fresh-air. Put some music and dance. Anything that would get you going.

💙 CARVE AND MAINTAIN SOME ALONE TIME.

It’s really important to maintain some alone time and find some space for yourself. Humans are social creatures, but many people have found themselves lately in households that feel more crowded than usual.
Make sure you take some ME time to decompress. How time we need differ from person to person but make sure you take the time to engage in something you enjoy & love.

💙 SELF-CARE BASICS
Choose 1 or 2 elements of basic self-care to commit to each week -
Sleep | Drink (water!)| Eat| Move

*Sleep - Sleep plays an important role in your physical and mental well-being and health. Sleep affects almost every type of tissue and system in our body – from the brain, heart, and lungs to metabolism, immune function, mood, and disease resistance.
 
*Hydrate - Drinking water is essential to your health and the functions of your all your biological systems.
Drinking water helps maintain the balance of body fluids energise muscles, helps your kidneys to function better and help maintain bowl movements. Water is all good.
 
*Eat - Our body needs energy to get through the day and this energy comes from food. It is important to eat regular meals to ensure your body gets the energy it needs to perform. 
 
*Move - Our bodies were designed to MoVE! You know that because you feel only too well the consequences of not moving...

To quote my favourite bio-mechanic woman on this planet:

"You Are How You Move"
Katy Bowman (Nutritious Movement)

Lastly, we know that being kind and charitable to other people boosts our own mood, so extend your hand and be that cheerful presence for somebody else — maybe by playing a game online or just connecting via phone or video conferencing — is a great thing to do!

So, let me know how you are doing, which self-care element you're committing to this week or just say "hi".

Much love 💕 Aoife