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Tired of masks and social distancing? Try this psychologist's advice

If you are tired of masks and other COVID-19 protocols, you are not alone. It has been called "pandemic precaution fatigue."

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By
Rick Armstrong
, WRAL photojournalist
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Psychologists say that, with no end to the pandemic in sight, it can become more difficult for many people to follow recommendations that reduce their risk of infection.

For months, North Carolina has had restrictions in place to limit the spread of coronavirus, including a mask requirement.

If you're getting tired of the masks and social distancing, experts say you're not alone. Dr. Scott Bea, a psychologist at Cleveland Clinic, said we need to have a strong will until there is an effective treatment or vaccine for the virus.

"We call it willingness," Bea said. "Willingness to do uncomfortable things because we value them and deem them worthwhile and they protect ourselves and those that we care about."

But months into the pandemic, business owners said that requirements that allow businesses to open are still confusing and difficult to manage.

Doug Bullock, of Jacksonville, owns a bar and restaurant. He had to close the bar area of his business as well as the popular pool tables due to state mandates.

If he left the pool table open, he said he would have to have someone next to the pool table disinfecting it every time someone played.

"Then what doesn’t really make any sense to me is you’ve got to walk in with a mask, but when you sit down, you sit down with a crowd of people with no mask on," Bullock said.

Right now, it can be harder to find the will to keep wearing masks, social distancing and adhering to shutdown orders. Psychologists are calling that feeling "pandemic precaution fatigue."

Bea said that as people adjust to a threat, their stress levels drop. When we adjust to a threat, we tend to let our guard down even though the risk of a threat like the coronavirus continues.

The key is turning our routines into habits, Bea said.

“Finding a new mask, something that excites you -- a new social distancing activity," Bea said. "Finding something novel and new is a way we excite our brains, and it’s a way we can overcome fatigue."

For some people, their motivation to stick with COVID-19 guidelines is that they know someone who was personally affected or someone who has died from the coronavirus.

"Then you’re more apt to wash those hands, keep those masks on, don’t sneeze on nobody," Bullock said.

Bea said that wearing a mask and respecting social distance along with washing your hands will continue to be an important part of daily life until there is an effective treatment or a vaccine for COVID-19.