Why it feels like your brain doesn't have room to think about monkeypox

COVID-19. Omicron variant. The BA.5 subvariant. And now monkeypox too? Over the past few years, the seemingly never-ending list of health news has clogged our brains, leaving some to feel like there's no room left.

Experts say you aren't alone and may be experiencing emotional exhaustion and crisis fatigue. Luckily, there are ways to help combat it.

"We've all reached the point of emotional exhaustion, and there is such a thing as crisis fatigue – our brains and our bodies can only be in a heightened state of alert for so long, and it's not natural for us to stay there," explains Amy Morin, psychotherapist and editor-in-chief of Verywell Mind.

Vaile Wright, senior director of health care innovation at the American Psychological Association, explains emotional exhaustion is "this sense of overwhelmingness. Overwhelmed to the point where you feel like you don't have the capacity to deal anymore... It's physical tiredness. It's mental tiredness. It's difficulty concentrating. It's all the things that we experience when we're just at our capacity."

There's also a point where our brains tend to shut off.

"We become desensitized to things after we watch the news for so long about something that that could kill us," Morin says. "Then you hear more stuff about 'oh, and by the way, here's this extra threat...' It's almost like we meet it with an eye roll thinking, 'OK, what's next?' Because right now it seems like there's always something coming out, telling us there's a different danger and don't relax yet."

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For news surrounding monkeypox specifically, messaging could also play a role in why some may dismiss it as less worthy of attention. Even though it's a virus that can affect anyone, it’s currently seen predominantly in gay and bisexual men who have sex with men. This could encourage other demographics to pay it less mind.

"There is a protective mechanism that says, 'OK, I'm going to only focus on what are my biggest threats right now,' " Morin says. "For some people that may be COVID, for other people, it might be monkeypox, for other people, it's the financial crisis. But sort of figuring out, what's my No. 1 priority? What's the biggest threat to me? It's natural for brains to do that."

Mental health impact of crisis fatigue, emotional exhaustion

Many held onto hope earlier in the pandemic that it would soon come to an end and life would return to normal. Instead, it feels like there's been one thing after another – from monkeypox to inflation to war in Ukraine and more. Oh, and the pandemic hasn't gone away, either. 

"We are facing a culmination of crises unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes – in coronavirus, economic turmoil and racism," Jaime Diaz-Granados, deputy chief executive officer at the American Psychological Association, previously told USA TODAY.

"Each of these crises are taking a heavy psychological toll on Americans and particularly our African American citizens and other people of color. The health consequences could be dire. As we look toward the future, we need to consider the long-term implications of the collective trauma."

Morin says it usually takes about 20 minutes for our brains and bodies to calm down after reaching a heightened state of alert, but in a world where we constantly check social media or can continuously listen to the news while working from home, we're staying in that heightened state much longer.

"By the time our body starts to calm down, we get something else and we get this spike again and stress hormones. That's not good for us," she says, adding it can create physical illness but it also takes a big toll on our mental health, including an increased rate of depression and anxiety.

People are also experiencing symptoms of trauma, Morin adds.

"They're jumpy when they hear a noise. They're constantly on the lookout for something bad because they're on such a state of heightened alert. And that can affect our sleep, our eating habits and then it's this vicious cycle."

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How can you fight crisis fatigue?

Set a limit on when and how often you're consuming news. For example, decide to only check the news once in the morning and once at night, Morin suggests. You can also follow uplifting content and good news accounts, which can "help balance out the idea that everything is horrible all the time."

While some people may not feel monkeypox is the biggest threat in their lives, and therefore put it on the worry backburner, you can still stay informed and empathetic toward those who don't have the privilege to ignore it. Just remember to do so in a "scheduled manner" and without the feeling you need to "keep checking in 17 times a day," Morin adds.

Schedule positive things to do too.

"Sometimes it might be something as simple as I'm going to watch a movie on Friday night, but if you put that in your calendar, say on Tuesday, you then have something to look forward to and we know that that's really good for our mental health," Morin adds.

Digital wellness expert Mark Ostach says if we don't have plans in place, it's easy to "quickly relapse and find ourselves back into the scrolling."

Avoid this by replacing doom-scrolling with something meaningful, including a hobby, quality time with family, getting outside, or working out.

Contributing: Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monkeypox symptoms: Why your brain feels it doesn't have room