Burnout, Covid & Community Care

Originally posted Apr 10, 2024 on alryt.world

Is it possible to avoid burnout when the world feels like it's burning?

Burnout can manifest in various ways due to varying causes. These include: work-related burnout, autistic burnout, academic burnout, caregivers burnout, social/relational burnout, and a combination of these. This is compounded for people marginalised across multiple axes of society, i.e: disability, race, sexuality and gender etc.

Physical burnout as described by marginalised people can feel like:

• Headaches/migraines
• Fatigue, exhaustion and/or lethargy 
• Muscle pain & tension
• Physical stress manifesting as teeth grinding & heart palpitations
• Insomnia, sleep disturbances and/or excessive sleeping
• Skin rashes/allergic reactions
• Heightened senses that can lead to sensory overload (i.e light sensitivity)
• Dry eyes & skin
• Loss of appetite & other gastrointestinal issues
• Increase in infections 

Mental & Emotional burnout as described by marginalised people can feel like:

• Mood swings & increased irritability 
• Low motivation and low mood 
• Feelings of anxiety & fear 
• Feelings of hopelessness and despair
• Feelings of detachment and isolation
• Negative self talk, self doubt & reduced self-esteem
• Unsustainable coping mechanisms 

“Business as usual” & burnout

So let’s be real. Right now, who isn’t burnt out? We’re living in dire times and are being forced to pretend like things are “business as usual”. 

We watch in horror and, oftentimes, helplessly, at the multiple crimes against humanity occurring right now from, DRC, Gaza, Sudan.

Globally, people are struggling with the rising costs of their daily necessities. Things needed for our collective survival, like healthcare and housing continue to grow inaccessible and governments are failing to rectify the situation. 

In Ireland, we have one of the worst housing crisis in Europe. The consequences of this crisis mean that most young people are either emigrating for better living conditions or reside at home without their independence. 

The consequences of all these calamities happening at once, is that everyone becomes not only burnt out, but shifts into an “auto-pilot” state. 

In this state, we ignore the many realities of our world and remain powerless. Forced to sell our labour for a wage that cannot sustain us, we have no strength to usurp the corporations and institutions that are accomplices in our collective anguish. 

Furthermore, despite what our government would have us believe, Covid abounds. 

Yes, we hear your sigh of exhaustion. We’re tired too. Covid is still here, and still creating new cousins by way of new variants. Subsequently - despite our denial - we are in year 5 of this pandemic. And, we believe that not being able to fully grieve our loved ones, hopes and dreams lost as a result of it, has been the biggest factor to our collective burnout.  Now, in addition to this, we have the arrival of Long-COVID. But hang on, (we hear you ask), what even is Long-COVID?

What is Long COVID?

Long-COVID (LC) is a patient-coined term describing the wide range of symptoms (200+ varying from patient to patient) that lasts at least twelve (12) weeks after an initial COVID-19 infection. The term and diagnosis was found through community efforts, LC patients speaking to each other, comparing symptoms and supporting each other. 

Some patients may endure neurological issues which can manifest as brain fog, loss/change of taste/smell, migraines and depression. A detailed description of a former singer’s experience with Long-COVID and their mental health can be found here. 

Many patients with LC may have system inflammation which can lead to skin rashes, new food allergies, muscle aches, lower immune system responses and chronic pain. 

Other symptoms LC patients may face are respiratory and cardiological issues like heart palpitations, breathlessness, abnormal heart rhythms and pericarditis. 

Finally, Long-COVID patients can also have a wide range of other issues ranging from low sperm count, gastrointestinal issues & extreme fatigue.  

As COVID-19 is an airborne virus, to avoid it, we should be practising Covid Safety and avoiding infection like this: 

• Updated COVID-19 vaccinations which reduce the likelihood of hospitalisation and death 
• Wearing KN95 respirator or better, which provides a physical barrier to contaminated air
• Cleaning the air with HEPA filters and good ventilation
• Saline nasal rinse and other nasal sprays which may reduce the nasal viral load
• CPC Mouthwashes which reduce viral load and infectivity

By choosing to acknowledge the risks of this airborne virus and wearing a mask outside, we are practising community care and safety for those most vulnerable, and ALL of us who are susceptible to it.

Fortunately, there are many mask blocs around the globe and with this link which you can use to find one around your area: https://maskbloc.org/

So……Is it possible to avoid burnout when it feels like the world is burning?

Naturally, the answer is not so black and white.

The current systems we’re living under make the conditions for us to avoid burnout quite difficult; and with so many of us burnt out, it's hard to imagine change right now. Although, we can learn to build and nurture the power of community in order to cultivate hope. This power is critical if we hope to handle our collective burnout.

As mentioned, one way we can do this is acknowledging our reality by practising Covid safety. Additionally, we came across @talideephd, who structures the journey in managing burnout as a combo of restructuring your life, creativity, community and rest. Learn more here and here.

We wish all of you the best in recovering and managing your burnout, and look forward to a future where we can live in a world where none of us will have to experience it and if we do we are allowed the time and space to recover from it. 

Lots of love  Katlego & Love, Builder of Worlds 

Edited by LM. Gabriel