05/15/2020 2:09PM

This may be why…

You took a mandatory 6 week vacation where you traveled to new and exotic places…like your kitchen, the back yard, and the spare bathroom.  And now it’s back to the routine and grind of a normal work week as you reopen your office.  Do you feel exhausted? 

You’re not alone. 

We’ve heard from many of you this week with this new insight.  It’s not really surprising.  You’ve been on your own preferred schedule at home, maybe staying up too late.  You’ve been spending energy helping your kids learn fractions and algebra—probably now eager to support their “we’ll never use this in real life” position in the hopes of avoiding it entirely.  And you’ve been worrying about the survival of your practice.  Add those all together and throw in a full work week, tons of new policies and procedures to implement, and staff and patients to reassure, and it’s really no wonder you’re tired.  If you haven’t reopened yet, start preparing now both mentally and physically!

A Wall Street Journal article points out the fatigue affect the shelter-at-home orders have had on many and gave that piece of advice regarding transitioning out of confinement.

Transitioning as society reopens

While it’s unlikely that we’ll return to our lives as they once were — at least for some time — some workplaces are beginning to reopen across the nation. We might see different schedules or more opportunities to work from home, but some of us will go back to a set schedule that might be a difficult jump from our current state. If you have enjoyed not having to commute or put in long hours away from home, how can you ready yourself for this shift?

Robbins suggests preparing for your transition as you would an upcoming trip. If you were heading to London, for example, “in the week leading up to that trip, you’d be starting to switch your calendar a little bit closer to your destination.” She says to take small steps each night, such as going to bed 15 minutes earlier, to move in the direction of your new schedule. These incremental adjustments give your body and mind time to adapt.

Besides our sleep schedules, there can be additional stress and exhaustion as we reenter the world. From worrying about whether we’ll be infected to wondering whether we’ll still have a job, some fear of the unknown remains — and that, as we know, is tiresome.

Read the full article here.