Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. As we move into mid June and into the fourth month of some form of reduced social contact due to COVID-19, I want to talk about fatigue.
In order to facilitate clear exchange of ideas and discussion (and because I had the importance drilled in to me in AP Chemistry class in high school) I’m a big believer in taxonomy. Fatigue (as it will apply to this post and future discussions on the blog) is a physiological state of reduced physical or mental performance.
Fatigue can be brought on in a number of different ways. Since this in large part a fitness blog, fatigue in most of our discussions is brought on by physical exertion. Touching on parenting and aviation, fatigue can be brought on by disrupted sleep patterns and stress. Fatigue can also be brought on by both too much mental stimulation as in a tough day at the office, but also by too little mental stimulation or a routine day at the office just monitoring the instruments share known as boredom fatigue.
This blog is filled with examples of physical exertion, and while most physical exertion leaves me energized and mentally and emotionally recharged (SerenityThroughSweat). There are some debilitating days deliberately designed into the training plan, all alliteration aside.
As a pilot, I’ve had fatiguing days where lots of things went wrong and I was strained to keep everything together safely. I’ve also had days that were just as fatiguing, where it was smooth sailing but there instruments seemed to lull me to sleep.
One thing is certain, regardless of how fatigue develops and accumulates, it diminishes performance. “Fatigue makes cowards of us all”, sometimes attributed to General George Patton, and sometimes to Vince Lombardi, gets to the heart of the matter.
Again, taxonomy is important. Most of the time, coward is a derogatory term used for someone who lacks courage. In the context of this post, it refers more to someone who lacks the will or ability, to do or endure unpleasant things. While that is still somewhat on the derogatory spectrum, I think it is less offensive in that form and more of a temporary state of reality that we all find ourselves in from time to time.
Regardless of your profession or your predilection for physical exertion, we are all experiencing various stages of COVID-19 fatigue. Which also means, many of us are already, or are on our way to becoming, cowards. Before you get defensive, remember this means lacking the will to do or endure unpleasant things.
I know I am personally tired of social distancing, tired of being stuck inside, tired of not being able to do things with friends and family that I otherwise would. I’m saddened by the loss of life, the economic hardship, and the stress that Covid-19 brings. Since Florida has re opened, it has seen new records three days in a row for new Covid-19 cases. It seems as though as a state, and in larger part as a society, we have lost the will to endure the unpleasantness required to combat this pandemic.
The good news is, cowardice does not have to be a permanent character trait, but rather can be limited to a temporary state. Regardless of what unpleasantness we may find ourselves unwilling, or unable to endure, there will always be sources from which we can draw strength and bravery, to combat our own fatigue and cowardice. I hope that you have many such sources in your life, and I’m honored if this is one of them.
Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.