psychology

We have lived with Covid for a year now and, whether we are aware of it or not, many of us are showing signs of emotional exhaustion. Palena Neale offers a road map through

Many of us are feeling depleted after the challenges of the past year. Travel and personal restrictions, isolation, homeworking and homeschooling, not to mention worries about our health and that of loved ones, relationships, work and money.

A lot of people I talk to are operating below par, but haven’t put a name to the problem. In fact, it’s emotional exhaustion. The symptoms are different for everyone but, for me, I find that I have less bandwidth, less capacity to take on other people’s problems or even talk for long. Sometimes, I feel like retreating even further into isolation.

One source defines emotional exhaustion as ‘a chronic state of physical and emotional depletion that results from excessive demands and continuous hassles’. It describes ‘feelings of being emotionally overextended and exhausted – manifested by both physical fatigue and a sense of feeling psychologically and emotionally drained. Take the following five steps to replenish yourself and cope with what comes next: