Toasted

Burnout among women is the silent epidemic arriving in the wake of Covid-19. We talked to a doctor about how to re-prioritize your health and wellness.

You’re fully vaccinated, preparing to send the kids back to school, and hoping to get your career back on track — you might even have enjoyed some much-needed downtime this summer. But as we slowly transition into a post-pandemic world, why is it that so many of us feel so exhausted?

“‘Depleted’ is a word that comes up a lot when patients talk about how they’re feeling,” says Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe, a family doctor at St. Michael’s Hospital. For women especially, the increased mental and emotional load of the past 18 months has had far-reaching health consequences.

“As women, we fall into a natural caregiving role, and in a crisis we become the last priority,” says Dr. Wijayasinghe. “But you can’t care for others in an effective way if you’re not well yourself.”

Sleep hygiene, healthy eating and regular exercise may have gone out the window, while increased domestic chores, managing children home from school or daycare, and worrying about elderly family members — on top of their own job responsibilities — have left many women overworked and overwhelmed. A global study by Oxfam found that half of women surveyed said they felt more anxious, depressed, and physically ill as a result of the pandemicinduced increase in unpaid labour.

The effect is even more pronounced among frontline health care workers, single parents, racialized minorities and women living in poverty, says Dr. Wijayasinghe, who is also Medical Director of Outreach at Women’s College Hospital. “We’re also experiencing a shadow pandemic of domestic violence,” she says. “Shelters are at capacity right now. We were all told to stay home, but home isn’t always a safe place.”

To raise funds for Red Door Family Shelter, Wijayasinghe wrote a children’s book, Once Upon a Pandemic, to tell the story of what it was like to be pregnant under lockdown restrictions, when access to normal prenatal care was reduced. She also co-founded an Instagram account, @pandemicpregnancyguide, which now has over 35,000 followers “Especially for first-time parents, a lot of people’s questions were going unanswered,” she says.

After a year and a half in Uber Eats-fueled survival mode, getting back on track with healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming. If you have specific questions about food, you can speak with a dietitian for free by calling Telehealth Ontario at 1.866.797.0000. For an immediate energy boost, Dr. Mary Choi, a naturopath in the Beaches, says prioritizing these three things will get you on the path to feeling like yourself again.

Hydration

At Dr. Choi’s weight loss clinic, it’s usually recommended to multiply your weight in kilograms by 35 to get the number of mL of water you need to drink daily. But it’s mainly a matter of consciously prioritizing water over other drinks. “The first thing you should reach for when you get up in the morning is a glass of water,” she says. “Limit coffee to one or two cups a day.”

Breakfast

“Nourishing yourself in the morning helps give you the energy to get through the day,” says Dr. Choi. Now’s not the time to try intermittent fasting, keto, or any other popular restrictive diets, says Dr. Choi. “Underfueling and overfueling are both stressors on the body,” she says. “Women need some carbs in their diet to ensure healthy hormone function.” She recommends eating three solid meals a day of whole foods — including plenty of fresh fruit or vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.

Sleep

Not only is sleep deprivation linked to obesity, it reinforces the bad-habit loop keeps you running on empty. “My patients tell me they need time for themselves in the evenings, but that often means hours of drinking wine and scrolling through Tik Tok,” Dr. Choi says. “That means you’re always pulling from a hungover, overcaffeinated, sleep deprived state.” Treat yourself like you would a small child, she says — set yourself a bedtime routine that includes a bath, a book and an early lights-out. “If you prioritize getting eight to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep Monday to Thursday, then on Friday through Sunday you’ll have the energy to do things like pre-plan meals for the week.”

“ ‘No’ is a complete sentence,” Dr.Wijayasinghe says. “We feel guilty for saying it, but you can’t properly support family and friends without supporting yourself.”

When the vast majority of healthcare resources were directed toward fighting Covid-19, many non-emergency surgeries, routine scans and consultations had to be deferred. Getting back on track can involve a bit of catch-up, which is why it’s important to speak with your family doctor to see which preventative care appointments you may need to schedule, depending on your age (see sidebar for more information).

“The first step would be to make that call to your GP and schedule an initial virtual check-in, just to get caught up,” says Dr. Wijayasinghe. “You might have a long list of things you want to address, and we can’t do them all in one appointment, but maybe we can deal with two or three.”

But even before that, taking small steps can help you get moving in the right direction. “Ideally, we should all be getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, but whatever you’re able to do, you’ve done it.”

If you’d prefer a quiet hour to yourself on your yoga mat, east-end yoga studio Afterglow is offering a free audioguided flow if you sign up on their website (AfterglowStudio. ca). Avid hikers in search of novelty can check out the Meadoway project (TheMeadoway.ca), a new 16-km walking and cycling trail through the Scarborough hydro corridor that will connect Rouge National Urban Park to downtown. Over the next few years, it will become a haven for birds, butterflies and wildflowers.

At the same time, take a look at your schedule and find out what you can say no to or offload to someone else. “‘No’ is a complete sentence,” Dr. Wijayasinghe says. “We feel guilty for saying it, but you can’t properly support family and friends without supporting yourself.”

Finally, if therapy isn’t within your budget, tap in to the free, confidential resources offered by the provincial and federal governments to help cope with the pandemic’s mental health ripple effect. Wellness Together Canada (WellnessTogether.ca) and Bounce Back Ontario (BounceBackOntario.ca) offer guided self-help programs, telephone counselling, and peer support. Dr. Wijayasinghe recommends three routine cancer screening tests for women of average risk — meaning without symptoms. “If you have any blood in your stool or changes in your breasts, see your doctor right away,” she says.

Colorectal

If you’re over 50, you can complete an at-home test. Your doctor can mail you a kit with instructions to collect a stool sample that you’ll send to a lab to be tested for microscopic amounts of blood. Depending on the results, or if you have a family history of colorectal cancer, you may need a colonoscopy.

Cervical

Cervical cancer screenings start at age 25 and require an in-person visit for a Pap test, usually once every three years. You’ll automatically receive a letter from Cancer Care Ontario reminding you when you’re due.

Breast

Ontario recommends a mammogram every two years if you’re 50 or over, though you may need to start younger if you have a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors. You can arrange it via a virtual consultation with your family doctor, or book directly with a free-standing breast screening clinic.