Crisis burnout [Archive] - Simple Living Forums

Greg44

3-18-20, 10:00pm

I have a family member who lives north of Salt Lake City where they had a 5.7 earthquake. They previously had lived in Southern CA, so they are no strangers to earth quakes. Though she said this one felt stronger because the center was just 10 miles away. They still maintain an apartment NW of Los Angeles and travel back and forth for work. They had to be evacuated the summer due to the wild fires from both their homes once while in UT and once in CA.

Of course then add the corona-virus to that, she texted today and said she was experiencing crisis burnout.

I thought of our own family. Daughter's work has closed down for 14 days. Multiple teachers in our immediate family whose schools have closed until the end of April. Another family member their business has decided to work in shifts - he now works from 1:30 - 10:00 pm. A big change from 6:30 am, so not as many people together at the same time. etc etc. So many changes, all happening so quickly. Church services cancelled. Summer wedding planning. Elderly parents requiring more attention.

Couple that with the ever changing news and non-stop updates, it has become almost exhausting. How are people coping? What are you doing to reduce the stress?

Gardnr

3-18-20, 10:06pm

And that's a smallish one. I remember the Idaho 6.9 and it wasn't publicized well because, well, it's Idaho and no one was killed. I watched the floor crack in our brand new Operating Room!

There is a gigantic fault through this part of the country. It's just not known outside of our region.

Coping? I am a quilter, a knitter and it's creative and soothing. I love to read. And it looks like I can get into the garden this weekend and start prepping.

I recommend: music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kIHGYAEHOY&feature=youtu.be

Yoga: https://www.self.com/story/best-youtube-yoga-channels

Her strength will come from within. I would stay away from people in chaos when possible. And stop watching news reading only updates/instructions from the workplace.

Tammy is a psych practitioner. I'm sure she will chime in when she has a few minutes.

iris lilies

3-18-20, 10:07pm

Focus on what is essential and what belongs to you. Let the rest float away.

Those who suddenly have no income— that is crises that must be addressed.Most other things here in your list are not your direct problems. I certainly feel sorry for the people who experience the earthquake, wildfires, and travel back-and-forth, but that isn’t you.

Greg44

3-18-20, 10:15pm

iris lilies

3-18-20, 10:30pm

She said her first impression after everything settled down was that she wanted to eat! Fortunately she is thin and can afford that luxury. I look as though I have been though many crisis if you get my drift. *sigh*

About a week ago I was vexed and “stressed” if you will at the number of people who didn’t seem to understand we were going to have to change our course for the next few weeks. So there was a lot of emailing and convincing and chatting about activities that needed to be canceled.

But now, just a week later, everyone is falling into compliance and people are “getting it” that guess what—they cannot run around like they used to. And in many many cases, that is a good thing to be celebrated.

But even during my somewhat vexing period I kept coming back to the idea that I can only control my own actions, and it is easy for me to step out of the activities that others are going forward with. It’s fine if I don’t attend. My presence is not essential.

Today I booted my foster dog outside for longer than normal while I cleaned the floor and then clean it again with bleach. Upset that he had to stay outside longer than he normally does, he whined and barked and cried. I told him, through the door, this is a time of national emergency and we all have to make some sacrifices. I reminded him that it wasn’t much of a sacrifice for him to be outside on a mild day where it wasn’t raining and he needs to just chill.

Tammy

3-18-20, 10:41pm

Here is what I just emailed my extended family, to keep them in the loop:

Hi family!

I’m doing well - every day feels like a week at work but I come home and take care of myself and sleep well. Below is a link that we shared with our staff today about how to manage the stress of all this.

Our kids are all good too. Aaron had a few days at home and now is going to the office part time. Jesse has lots of work and they might lay some off but they say they will keep him. His company sells concessions at big stadiums also, so they are cutting corners, but the workload is still there. Drew is now 100% working from home but fully employed.

Jim is so glad he retired last summer. His work was with the convention traveling public and would have been quite risky.

Love you all

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.g ov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fcoping.html

I’m so busy. But I come home and eat a good meal and sleep. Last night was 10 hours, the night before 6, with me waking at 4:30 with details on my mind. It just depends ... my days are a constant barrage of multitasking with lots meetings cancelled and lots of others added. Our hospital is under incident command now for all operations. We just had our first confirmed positive covid19 patient today, but not in my dept. We are in the middle of a 2 year expansion in psychiatry, and our last 4 units to open might be dedicated to covid patients who also require psychiatric care. Conditions change hourly.

Strangely, I still love my job. All I do is work and rest. Not much time for other things but then I shouldn’t really go anywhere else anyway.

Tybee

3-18-20, 10:57pm

How are people coping? What are you doing to reduce the stress?

We haven't been real successful yet reducing the stress, but we are trying. Been trying to comfort my parents in the nursing home by phone, and in touch with administrators to keep up with how they can best be reassured, and sharing information with the social worker. Trying to be a sounding board for both kids with children, as they have been extremely stressed themselves.

Two days ago was warm enough to work in the yard and that helped me, but it snowed again today, so that was off.

We are considering a home repair project to the bathroom, replacing flooring. Figure it is a great time to do it if we can get the supplies. I worry it might stress my husband a bit more.

Restructuring my classes so that my students can accommodate all the schedule changes we have had, trying to reassure them that they will get through our class. Trying to be more patient with impatient, stressed out students, because I know how they feel! I can work at making my little corner of the universe run smoothly for them, and be flexible to help them.

For me the hardest thing is feeling like I can do nothing, as I like to help others and I like good, orderly, direction. So I am trying to find things I can do to move each situation to a slightly better place.

Trying to be positive and appreciative of people, and lose the judgmental criticism. That helps me reduce my stress, and probably theirs, too.

Staying in close touch with family helps, although none of them are really phone talkers. But making the effort.

whisperingpines

3-19-20, 6:45am

This is how I deal with the stress of what is going on now.....
I help those who can't help themselves3139

razz

3-19-20, 8:40am

I take a daily long walk with my dog, continue my daily prayer and meditation, do daily phone checks with friends living on their own and work on projects like gardening, trimming and edging the lawn.
Mostly, for my mental health, I need to cut back on online newscasts to morning and late afternoon starting today. I have changed all that I need to do to be prepared however long this pandemic impacts my life. I am also getting into doing more of my painting and other creative pursuits.

Having DGS for company for the week has been great and all my family is in regular contact. Being realistic about what one person can do and doing it is the key. I have noticed families out doing a lot more activities with their children due to the school closure.

Whispering, please tell us more about the cute little ones in your photo.

catherine

3-19-20, 9:41am

I was just telling my son that this is eerily the way I felt after 9/11--a subterranean grief, where you wake up in the morning and then your heart sinks a little and you say to yourself, "oh, yeah, THIS is happening now." Not sobbing or grief-stricken--it's just "background noise" in my soul out of concern for business owners and furloughed employees and our general national loss of happy complacency.

I try not to have CNN on too much. I'm doing work from home (which I do anyway), and otherwise just transitioning back to VT from NJ. I haven't even fully unpacked yet, because I've been busy with work. But today I don't have much work to do. After that's out of the way, I'll tidy up/clean the house, order a cord of wood, and pick out paint colors. I've asked our local store if I can call in the order and then pick it up, minimizing my time out and about.

Tybee

3-19-20, 10:07am

That is exactly how I feel each morning, Catherine. Ugh; like oh wait, I'm still in this nightmare.

SteveinMN

3-19-20, 10:53am

I've been trying to get outside more to take walks because so many of my usual sources of exercise are shut down. It's still too early here for gardening even if I can see the entire lawn. I've pulled back on looking at the news. I do try to pay attention to national and global issues which were demanding my attention before the world became COVID-19 7x24; most of those issues continue despite the pandemic. One surprise (to me) is that I've been cooking up a storm (compared to my usual level of interest); right now there are leftovers from three different meals in the fridge (including St. Patrick's Day's corned-it-myself beef and cabbage).

I knew many things keeping me busy were going to end in April, so this comes a little sooner than I anticipated, but I do get to think about some true retirement projects now. Assuming I live through coronavirus, I've got lots of options. I try not to dwell on my risk factors or think excessively about exposure. A (not particularly foolhardy) friend of mine says "we're all going to die of something", and that's true. Few of us choose our own time and cause. But I want a little more time yet. I'm not done with what I plan to do.

I've heard people compare this pandemic, in some respects, to the Y2K issue. I lived and worked through Y2K and understand that it was high preparation (to almost over-preparation) that made it the non-event it was. I am hopeful that a similar approach to COVID-19 -- on my part, anyway -- will make it as much a non-event as Y2K was.

iris lilies

3-19-20, 11:01am

I would rather be isolated here in my urban core than in Hermann because I have more gardening jobs and opportunities here in the city. I have my own garden which needs a ton of weeding, and then a ton of mulching. And then the community garden area needs a ton of work as well. So once the weather clears up I will have things to do outside.

I suppose once I get everything completely shipshape need to tidy here, I could go to Hermann and start that job as well. But it’s a little early. And I think it’s gonna take me a good two weeks to get the city gardens cleaned and mulched.

pinkytoe

3-19-20, 11:04am

There is a sense when we wake up every morning that perhaps this is just a bad dream. One really has to focus on daily moments rather than an unknown future. Leisurely cooking and cleaning, long walks. Not too much TV or internet. Some are keeping daily journals so their babies can read some day. I told DH we need to stretch out projects so that we don't run out of things to do. Yesterday, we rebuilt a rock planter. Today, it is snowing so perhaps making soup from scratch. I found a twitter site that adds a daily thing to make you laugh:
https://twitter.com/gnuman1979/status/1239523796542992387

ApatheticNoMore

3-19-20, 11:10am

The problem with cooking is if you are supposed to limit going to the grocery store to one day a week and no guarantee of what items whatever grocery store one decides to roll the dice with this week might have, especially with stores being stripped bare, is it's more about, ok what food can I survive on this week, than making any elaborate recipes, and yes that might be rice and beans one survives on.

catherine

3-19-20, 11:14am

The problem with cooking is if you are supposed to limit going to the grocery store to one day a week and no guarantee of what items whatever grocery store one decides to roll the dice with this week might have, especially with stores being stripped bare, is it's more about, ok what food can I survive on this week, than making any elaborate recipes, and yes that might be rice and beans one survives on pretty much.

Time to be creative. Imagine yourself like a Food Network "Chopped" contestant. I feel that if we were to find ourselves in a 21st century Great Depression, we would relearn how to be resourceful. That might be one silver lining of all this.

Rogar

3-19-20, 11:31am

What are you doing to reduce the stress?

It's important to stay current with events, but I found that it's also tempting to be saturated with the same or similar media messages over and over though out a day. I'm trying to get a morning and evening update as my limit for news events. I check on friends well-being frequently by email but try not to focus on the Corona. There's plenty of other interesting events in the world to share an interest in, and it's mostly just to stay in touch with people I would have had real time visits with in better days. I do some meditation and stretching or yoga daily and with some warmer days can get out side for gardening or yard work. Catching up on a back log of reading materials, decluttering, and household projects.

rosarugosa

3-19-20, 12:38pm

This is how I deal with the stress of what is going on now.....
I help those who can't help themselves3139

Are those tiny baby squirrels?

KayLR

3-19-20, 1:10pm

Both my jobs (one full, one p/t) are incredibly stressful right now. Unfortunately, I am using food for comfort more than I should. But the great thing is the weather has been beautiful, and last night I could not take one more minute of news (my DH watches all.the.time) or my ruminations about work, so I went outside and weeded, and weeded, and weeded some more. All those awful shotweeds. It felt great. I listened to a cheerful (The Moth) podcast while working. Distraction is my MO.

JaneV2.0

3-19-20, 2:23pm

I seem to be handling stress with naps. I feel one coming on...

hana

3-19-20, 2:38pm

Husband's job forced him to telework starting today. He hates telecommuting and got out of his telework agreement about a year ago. He's cranky but he'll learn to deal with it. I still spend 8 hours a day on the job search, seeing fewer positions wanted or told I'll be contacted after the duration. Husband usually works 6:30 to 3:30 and I'm trying to keep 8 to 5 hours. I try to take a minimum 30 minute walk during my lunch break.

I'm happy I got my sewing machine back before the repair shop closed, I can work on some bags and the suit I promised husband. The event I'm making the suit for might be canceled, but I'll worry about that later. I also knit and decided to learn crochet. I'm limiting my corona virus coverage to 1 hour of national news and 1/2 hour of local news.

SteveinMN

3-19-20, 3:28pm

The problem with cooking is if you are supposed to limit going to the grocery store to one day a week and no guarantee of what items whatever grocery store one decides to roll the dice with this week might have, especially with stores being stripped bare
I guess I've always kind of cooked on the fly. Dinner here last night was a sirloin steak, pan-cooked in butter with minced ginger and soy sauce. Except for the steak, all of the ingredients are pretty much staples in this house. If I didn't see a sirloin steak I wanted to buy last week (quality or price) I probably would have looked at another steak cut. Or maybe pork chops. Could even have substituted fish filets in this meal. No butter? Coconut oil, then. Or margarine, if I had it. Oil if not. No ginger? Sub another (dried) herb and maybe leave out the soy sauce. It worked. It was dinner. I hadn't published a menu ahead of time, so if it was different from what I planned, *shrug*. But that's how I cook.

I've been shopping, on purpose, at smaller stores. I have no idea how full or how barren Target, Aldi, or the warehouse grocery store are; I didn't want to brave the crowds or the attitude. Right now the little stores let me get in and out, maintaining my distance, and picking up what I can use (if not always what I want or my preferred brand). I suppose we're luckier than many locales in that most of the smaller stores did not get stripped bare despite being within city limits. But sometimes we get lucky, I guess.

happystuff

3-19-20, 5:18pm

My first day unemployed, I don't even remember what I did. LOL. Today I spent 5 hours really deep cleaning the bathroom - it desperately needed it! Doing that kept me away from the tv and computer, which is a good thing right now. I did have to run out to get a blood test this morning, but then the dr's office called this afternoon and canceled the appointment. But, at least they will get the results and can call me.

I haven't decided what room I'm going to clean tomorrow - lol.

Oh, and dh still has a job, but is now working from home as of this afternoon.

whisperingpines

3-19-20, 6:19pm

Razz,

I do wildlife rehab, licensed by my state to have wildlife in my possession. These are baby squirrels that lost their home when trees were cut down. I have six right now.They are eat every 3 1/2 hrs, soon it will be every 4 hrs. With no night feedings. Eventually they will be weaned.
I will have them until they are 16-17-weeks old Then they will be released back into the wild. Right now they range in age from 2 weeks to almost 4 weeks.

whisperingpines

3-19-20, 6:23pm

Yes, Rosarugosa.

rosarugosa

3-19-20, 7:24pm

I seem to be handling stress with naps. I feel one coming on...

I'm going to go with wine. :)

Yppej

3-19-20, 8:04pm

RR I saw a graphic on Facebook I was trying to copy here but I couldn't get it to work. It is called planning your next wine tour and features glasses of wine in various rooms of a house.

rosarugosa

3-20-20, 5:54am

RR I saw a graphic on Facebook I was trying to copy here but I couldn't get it to work. It is called planning your next wine tour and features glasses of wine in various rooms of a house.

Yes, I saw one meme of going on a pub crawl by having a drink in the different rooms of your house, and I saw another one about studying a map to plan a weekend vacation and it was the home floor plan. :)

jp1

3-21-20, 4:02pm

On tv the other day they were talking about virtual happy hours. Maybe I’ll suggest to boss that one day this week we all get On Microsoft teams, have a drink and just chat about stuff the way we would at a normal happy hour. The bonus is that since I’m on the west coast and everyone else is in Chicago or nyc I’d be able to quit work early to attend!

Tammy

3-21-20, 4:23pm

I love that idea.

I just FaceTimed with my 6 yr old grandson for 20 minutes. He played Minecraft and I watched and he acted like I was there beside him as usual. This was as wonderful for me as it was for him.

razz

3-21-20, 5:10pm

rosarugosa

3-21-20, 5:20pm

Tonight I'm having Chardonnay instead of Cabernet to keep from getting into a rut. :)

jp1

3-21-20, 5:58pm

Tonight I'm having Chardonnay instead of Cabernet to keep from getting into a rut. :)

Variety is the spice of life!

bae

3-21-20, 6:34pm

Tonight I'm having Chardonnay instead of Cabernet to keep from getting into a rut. :)

You inspire us all!

pinkytoe

3-21-20, 7:51pm

Facetime is great for the present situation
Tried to buy a camera today so we can do FaceTime from our Mac. Everyone is sold out though there are many on Ebay for 2-3x normal price. Ugh!! Wondering now what other items will be hard to find going forward...

razz

3-21-20, 8:10pm

Tried to buy a camera today so we can do FaceTime from our Mac. Everyone is sold out though there are many on Ebay for 2-3x normal price. Ugh!! Wondering now what other items will be hard to find going forward...
I do Facetime from my Macbook Air and my iPhone using an app. Why do you need a camera to do this?

pinkytoe

3-21-20, 8:48pm

I don't have an iPhone. Android.

iris lilies

3-21-20, 9:06pm

Tonight I'm having Chardonnay instead of Cabernet to keep from getting into a rut. :)I have been diagnosed with rosacea. It’s a working diagnosis, anyway, for a rash I have on my chest.So right now I have to pay close attention to my red wine consumption see if it’s a trigger for this chest rash. I’m pretty sure mine was triggered by sun exposure, but who knows.

.It is not a happy time in the iris Lily household.:laff:

Alan

3-21-20, 9:08pm

I don't have an iPhone. Android.
Android's version of Face Time is called Duo, although unlike Face Time, it can be installed on both Android and Apple phones.

SteveinMN

3-21-20, 9:20pm

On tv the other day they were talking about virtual happy hours.
I had a virtual lunch earlier this week with some former co-workers; we normally meet twice a month in person but we were just geeky enough to want to try this. It worked decently well (Microsoft Teams, if anyone cares). We'll do it again in two weeks.

Tomorrow morning I have a virtual breakfast with a bunch of guys who get together approximately monthly, for breakfast or happy hour or a weekend at the cabin. I'm curious to see how well this works because it's usually 7-8 guys and the side conversations are as interesting as the main ones. It is a little disappointing in that I will not be at a restaurant which will serve me breakfast. I suppose I could find a place that delivers or does pickup. But maybe we'll just learn what works this time. Better than not having breakfast with them at all!