Keep Your Head Above It & Hold Your Own Truth

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or exhausted right now, you’re not alone; I assure you,

In fact, The National Mental Health Commission has given it an official title – Pandemic Fatigue.

Looking back at Christmas and New Year’s, we put 2020 behind us and envisaged 2021 being this vibrant, fresh start we all deserved. We musted so much strength and courage to support ourselves and those around us last year that when it came to 2021 not being much better, many of us were close to running on empty.

There is so much noise in the world that we are forgetting to listen to the beautiful sounds around us. The global hum is leaving us fatigued and wondering how we can possibly endure hearing “you’re on mute” one more time.

So, how do we keep our heads above it, maintain our own strength, hold our truth, value and respect others and be a kind human?

Carve out some time to disconnect from the noise around you

From the television, social media to chat between your friends and colleagues, it can feel like we don’t have much to talk about other than you know what.

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Not only do we get caught up in the conversation that deprive us of productivity but find ourselves overwhelmed by the challenges of opinions, deciphering the facts from the hearsay and generally overbearing topics.

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If you’re feeling mentally exhausted after a day engulphed by the noise around you, it is time to disconnect.

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There are no rules to how you disconnect from the noise around you. For some, it could be having strict no social media time each day, turning your phone off at the same time each evening, having your devices in another room to you, choosing a book or television show over the evening news or getting out in nature with no noise but the sounds that you invite into your space.

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Have a spot where you can retreat to that is designed for disconnection. This space is yours, distraction-free, farewelling opinions and you guessed it, global hum.

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An overused word over the past 18 months, but nonetheless integral to our wellbeing, self-care is something each and every one of us should be prioritising.

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Self-care is so much more than a warm bath and face mask (although, they’re fabulous options if you ask me) but the nurturing of your physical and mental wellbeing. When the noise feels deafening, turn to your self-care strategies and welcome the disconnect.

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Build a routine that you actually want to stick to

Plan each day in advance so that you can do what you need to do and consider what can be delegated to other people. By having a regular routine, you can add some welcomed consistency into your daily life, free of surprises.

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This helps to avoid the “boom and bust” behaviour where we go hard on the days, we feel good but are left deflated and exhausted the next day. Instead, we want to welcome a balanced level of energy every day so that we can continue to get up and get the job done.

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If you’re unsure what is causing a “boom and bust” response, take note in an activity diary or have all of your daily tasks marked in your calendar. That way, you can identify those tasks leaving you depleted and know how to better manage them (or completely delegate them).

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On the topic of delegation, don’t be afraid to farewell the activities that are the lowest on your priority list. If the is a task which is very important, do it when you have the most energy. If they are not important, but ‘have to be done’ can you delegate them to someone better suited?

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Conserve your energy for where it’s needed most

Think about areas where you can save energy that can be used for where it’s needed most. This could be quality time with your family, focussing on completing those important tasks for the day or even allowing you more space to disconnect.

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As well as delegation, consider ways you can streamline different tasks within your life. For example, instead of spending an hour or two doing your household shop, jump online and have your groceries delivered to your doorstep.

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With those conveniently delivered groceries, spend a few hours on a Sunday meal prepping the bases of your menu for the upcoming week so some of the hard work is completed for you ahead of time.

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So, where does this energy come from? Doing things that are enjoyable to you! Release those much-needed endorphins throughout your day to energise your mind and body so that you can take on any task with conviction and optimism.

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Listen to your mind and body.

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Don’t be afraid to say no to the hum as you search for the kinder sounds.

Until next time,

Be Well

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