Pandemic Burnout Sucks. Here, Have Are Some YouTube Videos.
Let's all collectively admit it - we're all sick of the Great CoVid Plague of 2020/2021.
Some of us are really, really burnt out. I posed a question on my personal instagram asking what if people were pandemic burnt out and what was it like for them, and received responses from 'struggling to get out of bed', 'alternating between crying and feeling numb', 'eating my feelings', 'not eating', 'no focus/motivation/creativity'.
The sameness of each day, the constant uncertainty, lockdowns and restrictions of life are wearying - with no idea it'll end.
Personally, I've been struggling a lot too. I cry more days than I don't, I'm tired and anxious all the time and it can take a herculean effort to get through all the things I need to do in a day; something small like going for a workout or stepping into my office can give me anxiety. It's been extremely frustrating.
I think we need to remind ourselves that if we're feeling burnt out and fatigued, we're not alone. It's not our fault! We're in a plague! We're doing the best we can! It doesn't make us any less mentally resilient than the people who aren't struggling as much - everyone's circumstance is different.
While we can't magic away a plague or force our brains to suddenly become happy, finding small ways to be kind to ourselves and smile can help.
Here are a couple of YouTube videos that I've found to be helpful - because they're calming, hysterical or...well, there's no in between. Calming or hysterical. That's what I use YouTube for.
Yoga with Adriene
I am not a yoga person, but I recently discovered Yoga With Adriene's font of easy to follow, free videos. She has a yoga video for everything...I could probably google 'yoga for when I'm dead inside' and she probably has done a video on it.
You know what, it turns out she has.
I've found her 7 minute post-run video is a fast but effective video for stretching out the muscles after any physical activity, including dance. If you have more time, her Yoga for PTSD is a really gentle, relaxing video for anyone dealing with some sort (or all sorts!) of negative emotions, like depression, sadness and/or anxiety.
This Graham Norton Interview
This interview remains the best talkshow episode to ever exist on the internet - it's a riot from beginning to end. The 3 guests, Adele, Jack Whitehall and Miranda Hart have fantastic chemistry and are hysterical together.
Everyone ever probably knows Adele, but you don't have to know who Jack Whitehall or Miranda Hart are (two excellent comedians!) to enjoy this video.
My favourite moment is probably when Miranda reenacts an intimate scene from the 'William & Kate: The Movie' with the actor who plays Prince William, while Adele struggles not to laugh out loud in the background.
The Good Ballet Juju Podcast with Marianela Nunez
Persuading Marianela to record a podcast episode with me was definitely a high point in a very terrible, no good 2020. Her prodigious ballet capabilities aside, Marianela is also a very generous human being and hearing her talk candidly about what she was dealing with during lockdown, what she does to stay physically and mentally healthy and her teenage struggles is both comforting and inspiring.
A Member of BTS Screaming for 8 Minutes
Jhope is a member of Korean mega group BTS and an excellent dancer in his own right - but there's something about watching a grown man scream endlessly for 8 minutes that is both hysterical and very, very appropriate for the times we live in.
A Very Historically (In)Accurate Skincare and Makeup Tutorial
Listen, I know precious little about 17th century England or about makeup. But I do know that this video about how people cared for their skin during the Great Plague of London is infectiously funny.