Coronexhaustion

by Lisa Miller

With all the new terminology popping up--coronacancelled, quarantini, covidiot--I'd like to add coronexhausted to the lexicon. 

I. Am. So. Tired.

Why am I so tired all of the time? It's true that I'm not sleeping as well as I used to. And maybe exercising a bit less. Maybe I'm drinking just a bit more wine. But these things alone wouldn't account for my constant state of fatigue.

Turns out, being in a heightened and extended state of emotion such as grief, fear, anxiety, frustration, stress, regret, (did I mention anxiety already?) and mild to severe depression is exhausting.

Coronexhausting!

One of these emotional hurdles would be a challenge to overcome ALL ON ITS OWN, but the extra-special coronacocktail of SO MANY negative emotions ALL AT ONCE is draining and wears us down. Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I am just struggling to emotionally regulate because I'm so tired. 

Our kids are tired, too. Although they may be sleeping more, they are navigating many of the same negative emotions. Emotional regulation is one of the key factors of executive function. You see where I'm going here? Let me connect the dots. Executive function is managed (in part) by the frontal lobe of our brains; the frontal lobe is not fully developed until our mid-twenties. Therefore, emotional regulation for our teens during coronacation is unlikely (read: impossible). Get it?

Great.

Now we've come to the part of this blog where I would propose some nifty strategies to try to mitigate the impact of coronexhaustion. But I am too tired. Seriously. I need to take a nap. Please stay tuned.

I'll leave you with this awesome resource, though:

Yale's popular "Science of Well Being" class is now free online.