by WRNW

Unless you’re tuned out entirely to the news and social media, you know the world has become increasingly divided. Each day sees another breaking news story or scientific finding presented that inevitably sparks new worries or concerns. These challenges force us to make decisions and changes for ourselves and our families. It’s been exhausting on so many levels!

While the term for this feeling originated in the corporate world, the feeling of constant, extreme change has carried over into our daily lives – change fatigue. What does this feeling look like? And what can we do to change things up in a positive way?

Change Fatigue

Change is constant and inevitable. But what happens when things are so unpredictably changing day-in and day-out? The feeling overwhelms us with the amount of constant change. You may even feel apathetic to the gravity of the change going on around you. It’s the feeling that makes you say, “Oh No. Here We Go Again!”

With so many stressors thrust into our lap on a daily basis – pandemic, war, social issues, return to work – we become sensitized to any kind of stress. This is typically brought about by the unpredictability of these stressors and the overwhelming amount of decisions that must be made with them.

Pre-Pandemic Change Fatigue

Before the onset of the pandemic, change fatigue wasn’t a foreign concept. Many of us had experienced it in some form or another – the loss of a loved one, divorce, a new baby, moving. Each of these are large, life-altering stressors that bring on overwhelming or unexpected decisions.

Change fatigue has been common in the workplace too. When a leadership team sees a quick fix for company culture, despite initial surges of enthusiasm to change processes and practices, things typically remain the same. A constant state of the ‘quick fix’ swiftly leads to change fatigue.

A New Rhythm

Typically, most people are able to rely on a ‘surge capacity’ to deal with sudden short-term changes. Then how do we manage when our usual reserves are depleted? Try these easy-to-implement suggestions:

Routine Find YOUR routine. Give yourself moments to control your daily schedule – even if it’s as simple as picking out your clothes for the next day or walking the dog at a specific time. The predictability of these moments can bring a positive rhythm to your day.

Stay Connected Keep in touch with your friends and family. Call them. Have them over for dinner. Join a social club or sports team. Our relationships bring much needed balance to the hectic day-to-day occurrences.

Help Others As we’ve mentioned before, those that give their time and talents to others are happier people and achieve lower stress levels.

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Be sure to check out our other blogs for further injury prevention education and tips from Work Right NW!