Words are interesting, aren’t they? I love to use words to convey meaning, to educate, to enlighten and to try to persuade. We all use words that we are familiar with, that we understand and that are part of our normal vernacular. We get used to these words as ways to express a familiar thought or idea that we hold dear or that comforts us. The interesting thing about the English language is that many of our words have nuanced definitions and can be used to express many similar or related meanings.
Fatigue is one of the words that comes to mind for me lately. When we look to the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary definition of fatigue, we find several aspects of this word that pertain to our current situation as we struggle with pandemic life.
First, a definition that was certainly not top of mind for me: “Manual or menial work, such as the cleaning up of a camp area, performed by military personnel.” There is also a corollary definition that goes with this, being “the uniform or work clothing worn on fatigue and in the field.” Think about many households now as young families struggle with educating their children at home, cooking and eating many more meals at home than usual, and having one or more adults working from home at the same time. This scenario has created home landscapes akin to domestic camp areas, staging areas for vocational, culinary and educational missions that were often outsourced and performed far away from the home just a few months ago. We are constantly “cleaning up the camp area” while wearing the new uniform of 2020, shorts, tees, sweats and Allbirds, trying our best to be efficient and productive while staying as comfortable and low key as possible. For the most part, I think we are succeeding admirably in spite of all the odds against us.
The second definition is more of the traditional one that we think of when we think of fatigue: “Weariness of exhaustion from labor, exertion, or stress.” We have all felt this in one way or another over the last seven months. We are working hard, sometimes in vastly different ways or in different places than we are used to. We are caring for families, our coworkers and others at the expense of caring for ourselves. Some of us have fallen ill with COVID-19 and that has given an entirely new meaning to fatigue for us. Physical weariness that precludes meaningful activity and productivity wears on one’s body, mind and soul. Even if you want to get up and actively engage the world, sometimes a physical illness like COVID-19 stops you in your tracks and says “Not today.” This fatigue, unlike the camp that can be tidied and cleaned, must be managed until it has passed. It is insidious, long lasting and debilitating.
The third definition that caught my eye was the one describing “a state or attitude of indifference or apathy brought on by overexposure (as to a repeated series of similar events or appeals).” Now, this definition encompasses several different aspects of our current lives in the time of COVID-19. Not only are we feeling extremely overwhelmed by the pandemic and how it has disrupted our daily lives for months now, but we have been dealing with racial tensions, economic stresses and political dissent and strife as we approach one of the most contentious presidential elections our country has held in our lifetimes. When there were 15 cases of COVID-19, the threat felt small. When there were 1,000 deaths, we felt that this was something terrible. Fifty thousand deaths was almost unfathomable. One hundred thousand deaths was unbelievable. Now, we have had 8 million cases of COVID-19 in our country and well over 200,000 deaths. We have been seeing and hearing these numbers for so long now, and in such quantities, that we are numb to them. We are fatigued. It is harder and harder to muster compassion, much less hope that things will eventually get better. On top of the ongoing pandemic and its stresses, add the civil unrest, the political intrigues and countless ads on television and in the news, and we are simply bombarded with negativity that further numbs and chastens us.
What to do:
1. See things as they are. We have already found that one cannot wish away a viral pandemic. It will run its course, relentlessly, until we either achieve immunity overall or we have a workable vaccine. We cannot make the government attend to our financial needs. We have had to be creative to find work and put food on the table. We cannot fix racial unrest and social inequalities overnight. These changes can come, but it will take much time and much work by all.
2. Limit negative exposure. Keep up with the news but only in prescribed amounts and at certain times. Constant exposure to negativity and stress will only increase social, emotional and physical fatigue.
3. Act. Plan. Work. Vote. Talk. Collaborate.
One final definition of fatigue that Webster’s offers us? “The tendency of a material to break under repeated stress.” We do not want to let ourselves get to that point, do we?
"many" - Google News
October 27, 2020 at 01:30AM
https://ift.tt/3mneSHk
Mind Matters: The many definitions of fatigue | Features - Charleston Post Courier
"many" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2OYUfnl
https://ift.tt/3f9EULr
No comments:
Post a Comment