Uncomfortably Numb: With COVID & Ukraine, Crisis Fatigue Thrives

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March 15, 2022 — In casual conversation these days, you’re likely to hear: “I’m just done with COVID.”

The problem is the virus isn’t done with us yet. Nor is the war in Ukraine, inflation, or gas prices, among other concerns.

The statistics 2 years into the fatigue.

In a posttraumatic stress disorder as an effect of dealing with nonstop trauma, she says people are more likely to have posttraumatic growth — moving on in their lives successfully — than posttraumatic stress.

In her book How to Be Broken: The Advantages of Falling Apart, Kavanagh explains how numbing or burnout can be a temporary psychological tool that helps people eventually become a stronger version of themselves.

At some point, research suggests, the concern about the pandemic and its many victims is bound to decrease. Researchers call the inability of some people to respond to the ongoing and overwhelming number of people affected by a serious emergency such as COVID-19 “compassion fade,” with some research showing one person in danger may evoke concern, but two in danger won’t necessarily double that concern.

Recognizing Emotional Numbness

Often, people around those who have gone emotionally numb are the ones who recognize it, Bufka says.

“Once you recognize that this is happening, rather than jumping back in [totally],” she recommends focusing on relationships you want to tend to first.

Give yourself permission not to follow the topics stressing you the most.

“We don’t have to be up to our eyeballs in it all day long,” she says.

Slow down to savor small experiences.

“The dogs are bugging you because they want to play ball. Go play ball. Focus on the fact that the dog is super excited to play ball,” Bufka says.

And always look to your support system.

“I think we’ve all realized how valuable support systems are” during the pandemic, Bufka says.

Also, get good rest, regular activity, and time outdoors to “reset.” “Actively seek out what’s enjoyable to you,” she says.

For Some, Numbness Is a Privilege Denied

Kristin Urquiza is one of many, though, who hasn’t had a chance to reset. After her father, Mark, 65, died of COVID, she co-founded Marked By COVID, a national, nonprofit group that advocates for a national memorial day for COVID-19 each year.

“Emotional numbness to the pandemic is a privilege and another manifestation of the two radically different Americas in which we live,” she says.

So far, Urquiza calls the response to the request to set up a national COVID-19 Memorial Day “tepid,” although she sees the request as “a free, simple, no-strings- attached way to acknowledge the pain and suffering of millions.”

About 152 mayors have taken action to proclaim the first Monday in March COVID Memorial Day, according to the group. U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-AZ, introduced a resolution in 2021 in the House of Representatives expressing support for the annual memorial day.

Marked By COVID also advocates for a coordinated, national, data-driven COVID-19 response plan and recognition that many are still dealing with COVID-19 and its effects.

Like Urquiza, many people embark on what Lifton calls a “survivor mission,” in which they build public awareness, raise funds, or contribute to research.

“Survivors in general are much more important to society than we have previously recognized,” he says.