The Fitness Magazine: Sorry to Sound Like Your Mom, but Have You Been Drinking Water?

I felt it over the last 2 weeks: this collective shift in our energy that people are calling "quarantine fatigue." Maybe you're sick of eating sourdough discards or you're feeling impulsive, like, just how bad is it to hang out in the park? (FYI, it's OK if you can physically distance and keep your mask on.) For me, I found myself bored out of my mind, to a point where I thought it might be fun to convince a friend to shave their head. Turns out, that was actually my depression talking.

So, taking my own advice of recalibrating comfort, I started defining my needs. It took a while, like 2 weeks, but I slowly discovered that what I thought was fear and panic driving my quarantine fatigue was more physical. Literally. I'd exhausted myself by being overly mindful of my emotions when all I really needed was more water, more food, and an orgasm or two (yes, really).

So this is me, checking in with you, halfway through Mental Health Awareness Month, to say that it's time to try all the body things: Is your gut hydrated? Sometimes your anxiety needs a somatic experience, like pooping, before it can let go. Are your meals balanced? Let's try to finish that bag of spinach or gallon of milk so you don't develop guilt over letting it go bad. Do you feel like it's impossible to focus? Try a nap and give all of yourself a break. Or try nature again. It's a cliché, but right now, when time seems to have no meaning, seeing a plant grow, one green at a time, is a great reminder that our bodies still need care.

— Christal Yuen, Senior Editor