Another F word in 2020
By: Yan H.
Tags: Lifestyle, Self, Health, Mental Health, Pandemic

What is Fatigue?

Traditionally we understand fatigue as just simply, a form of tiredness and exhaustion. Healthline defines fatigue as “an overall feeling of tiredness or lack of energy. It isn’t the same as simply feeling drowsy or sleepy. When you’re fatigued, you have no motivation and no energy. Being sleepy may be a symptom of fatigue, but it’s not the same thing”.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic and its lockdown. And now we are seeing a new kind of fatigue associated with this coronavirus — pandemic fatigue.

Pandemic fatigue is a relatively new experience for all of us. It is a form of psychological fatigue, typically understood as a type of burn-out. And it can differ from person to person.

According to Dr. Annabelle Chow, a principal clinical psychologist at Annabelle Psychology, she says, “pandemic fatigue describes a mental state where a prolonged, heightened state of fear and caution leads to a form of burnout. Although it is not classified as a mental disorder, the effects of pandemic fatigue are nevertheless real and have an impact on those experiencing it.”

A new F word in my life

So while I had battled and overcame fat-shaming during my teens, I am now facing a new F word in my life. Over the last 8 months, I have been battling with symptoms of adrenal fatigue which came as nearly coincidental to the onset of the pandemic.

Experiencing symptoms of adrenal fatigue isn’t the first time it happened to me. It probably began the day I prepared for my body physique competition 7 years ago. I was putting my body under extreme physical training, and strict diet, coupled with the mental stress of ensuring I remain lean and cut, I never allowed my body to fully rest.

At that time, probably from the subtle repercussions of fat-shaming during my teens, I was also obsessed with wanting to remain as lean as possible. When my body fat % went below 20, which was a norm amongst figure athletes, my menstrual cycle became even more irregular and came to a halt, the longest being 2 years apart. I was actually happy about it.

I remembered feeling extremely exhausted after the competition and the months thereafter. I struggled to eat what’s considered normal regular food, like grilled steak and baked potato with some bacon bits and sour cream on the side, at the restaurant.

Following the competition as I journeyed further in my fitness trainer career, I discovered about adrenal fatigue and got interested as I could relate to many of its symptoms, the events that typically lead to it, and more importantly, what I am observing in my clients and the stories I heard around me.

Adrenal fatigue or HPA-axis maladaptation tends to creep on us slowly since we are talking about an axis between three main endocrine glands, that are linked and must be carefully balanced for optimal function.

Understanding the new Fatigue

So it seems like this F word is all over our news feed, but do we really know what it means and more importantly what should we do and why we should be doing something about managing our fatigue.

As we are hearing and possibly experiencing pandemic fatigue, it’s also worth considering understanding adrenal fatigue symptoms. Since with pandemic fatigue, it is common that we may feel burn-out from having to follow all the new social rules and restrictions, while also fearful that we may catch the virus.

All these mental and emotional stress definitely put an extra load on our hypothalamus to secrete more corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) which in turn sends the signal to our adrenals to release the cortisol hormone as the body understands that we are to remain “vigilant” and “be prepared for the worst”.

It is certainly important to manage our fatigue as the long-term consequences can lead to chronic fatigue syndrome, which typically means a much lower immunity, increased risk of bacterial and viral infections, hormone imbalances, and other mental/emotional health issues which will impair your daily life.

How I manage my fatigue now

So yes, I suppose I am getting some of that “F” cocktail now. What have I been doing to get my energy and sanity level back?