Main image via ABC11
Remember how you freaked out in the first month of MCO? Remember when the thought of heading out used to give you cold feet?
Well, look at you now… adapting to the new normal. However, if you feel you’re no longer following the SOPs wherever you go and you’re not disinfecting your hands as often as you used to, you’re not alone. There’s a theory out there to explain what’s going on with you.
This phenomenon is apparently called the ‘caution fatigue’ and surprise surprise, it’s not you taking things for granted…it’s your brain.
via GIPHY
Jacqueline Gollan, a professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said that caution fatigue occurs when people show low motivation or energy to comply with safety guidelines. It’s similar to when repetitive routine makes us bored.
At the beginning of the pandemic, there was fresh fear, which caused our brains to react in a very aggressive manner. When a certain warning is given repeatedly, our brains start to become impatient with the warnings, hence going through a caution fatigue.
This type of mental fatigue can happen due to chronic stress, decreased sensitivity to warnings and the inability to process new information with others.
Jacqueline added that the amygdala, the region of the brain that registers fear activated when we see or hear a threat. It is then communicated through the body via stress hormones and sympathetic nervous system. Now that our brain’s alarm system has gone off, it’s basically asking you to sit back and take a chill pill. (Not literally.)
Our bodies learn to process fear and get used to it over time; creating a sense of control. Hence, when you don’t see anyone sick around you, your worry goes away.
via GIPHY
So, if you think you might be experiencing caution fatigue, it’s okay to take a little breather. However, we’d like to remind you that the pandemic is NOT over.
Whether or not you’re threatened by the situation, whenever you head out, just wear the mask and sanitize your hands like it’s a part of your routine, because it is now.
By: Piravina Ragunathan
Info via CNN
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