It's Mabinty, your resident realist. I'm emotionally exhausted. I think you might be, too.
OPINION
It's been more than a year of living in a pandemic that's upended everyone's lives. Yes, vaccines are more widely available now in the USA. And more people are actually getting vaccinated if they want to. But people are still getting COVID-19 and dying.
You know, not to be the downer or anything.
I'm Mabinty, a politics editor at USA TODAY and your resident realist. You're reading "This is America," a newsletter centered on race, identity and how they shape our lives.
This is our America: We're all wrestling with how to reintegrate into a new normal (while people are dying – and while many in some communities are skeptical of the vaccine that could save their lives). We're anxious about what the future holds. And the reality is that we're more than a year into this pandemic and also more than a year into promised systemic reckonings.
There is no shame in being exhausted (raises hand).
But first, race and justice news we're watching
Important stories of the past week, from USA TODAY and other news sources.
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Join our chat on Oscars and diversity: The week after a very 2021 edition of the Oscars, USA TODAY's Rasha Ali, David Oliver and Felecia Wellington are talking Hollywood and inclusion at Thursday at 4 p.m. ET on the Clubhouse app
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Investigation: Black, gay and disabled workers inside federal civil rights agencies say they were targeted
Police are fueling outrage over Andrew Brown Jr.'s death by withholding information, experts say
Some weekends, I can't get out of bed.
I'll admit it. I'm emotionally exhausted. It's hard not to feel guilty about it though. I have a job that allows me to work from home. I've been employed throughout this pandemic and am able to hide out from others for my safety.
That's not the case for essential workers who are still working throughout the pandemic. Black and Latino workers were disproportionally affected by COVID-19. CDC data shows Black Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19 at 2.9 times the rate of white Americans and die at 1.9 times the rate; Latinos are hospitalized at more than three times the rate and die more than twice the rate of white Americans.
I'm also immunocompromised and mostly separated from friends and family. Despite health challenges I've managed to still stay somewhat connected with people: I've zoomed, telephoned and gone on a few socially distanced outings.
But there are some weekends when all I can do is lie in bed, particularly after weeks of mass shootings or you know, the extrajudicial killings of Black people. I don't have the energy for much more. And I'm not alone.
"COVID is impacting the older age group more, but anxiety and depression are being faced by the young adults much more, which is exactly the opposite of what we've seen in some of the earlier crises," said Shekhar Saxena, professor of the practice of global mental health and former director of the World Health Organization's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. "It's the young adults and the children who are being impacted and the effects are going to be long-lasting."
You, too?
"Emotional exhaustion is this sense of overwhelmingness. Overwhelmed to the point where you feel like you don't have the capacity to deal anymore," said Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association.
According to Wright, you could be facing emotional exhaustion if...
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You're feeling physically tired.
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You're feeling mentally tired.
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You have difficulty concentrating.
If you're struggling like me, may I suggest three of my favorite newsletters to read: My Sweet Dumb Brain by Katie Hawkins-Gaar, L'Oreal Thompson Payton's LT in the City Weekly and Heather Havrilesky's Ask Polly. These three writers aren't afraid to tackle real issues people deal such as infertility, mental health struggles, loss and grief.
They also aren't shy about their experiences with therapy and counseling. I admire their bravery and courage.
Feel like your battery is low? Same.
nadia_bormotova, Getty Images/iStockphoto
The B-word and the L-word
Emotional exhaustion "is usually used when talking about burnout, when feelings about stressors and responsibilities mount to the point that someone feels they don't have any energy left to expend," USA TODAY's Alia Dastagir writes.
That's right, I'm blaming work. According to research, people who work from home in the United Kingdom, Austria, Canada and the United States have increased their workday by 2.5 hours.
A study released last month by Indeed showed 52% of respondents are feeling burned out. More alarmingly, the stats increase for younger generations. For millennials: 53% were already burned out pre-COVID. Today, 59% are experiencing burnout. For Gen Z: 58% report burnout, up from 47% who said the same in 2020.
Then there's pandemic languishing, which hit me hard this month.
According to the New York Times, "Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you're muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. And it might be the dominant emotion of 2021." That's pretty much me this entire year.
Let's be honest. We need a break.
It's hard to be motivated when there's no end in sight. I don't know about you but I want this pandemic to be over. Although I know it will take some time. According to the CDC, 37.8% of U.S. adults age 18 and above are fully vaccinated. We're probably not going to reach herd immunity . I'm trying to stay motivated that at some point we will figure out a new way of living.
Yes, I try to get a decent amount of sleep each night. I go on walks. I try to eat healthily. I'm still struggling. Sometimes self-care tips aren't enough. This has been a traumatizing year. It will take time to overcome everyone(and thing) we've lost to this pandemic.
So I'm spending the rest of this year cutting myself and others slack. I'm lowering all the expectations I had (for the second year in a row). I hope you'll join me. We deserve it.
This is America is a weekly take on current events from a rotating panel of USA TODAY Network journalists with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints. If you're seeing this newsletter online or someone forwarded it to you, you can subscribe here. If you have feedback for us, we'd love for you to drop it here.
