Citation
Bajer, J. (2022), "Editorial", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 21 No. 1, p. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-02-2022-190
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited
Why is everyone so tired?
The general feeling is that we are now all exhausted, drained and knackered. You do not need to look at the stats to prove it. You are likely experiencing it yourself and everyone around you. But, why?
Perhaps, the strongest reason is too obvious to notice. We have starved ourselves of one of the most crucial nutrients we all need: the others. We are essentially social creatures (“Man is by nature a social animal”, Aristotle) so “social distancing” came at a high price.
It is been over 700 days since we last freely walked around downtown without checking the latest regulations. For many of us, for the last 100 weeks we have spent more time in virtual spaces than physical ones. I clocked over 4,000 h of virtual sessions, including conferences, team meetings, friends and family reunions, birthday parties and even one funeral.
It is great that we now have a new tool in our toolboxes, but we should dust off the ones we had before and make sure they work again.
Surround yourself with people you can chit-chat with any time you want, allow serendipity to distract you, actively waste a bit of time in the company of other humans and you will see how your energy comes back.
I know, we are social animals after all. Not just conceptually, but in a very physical and tangible way. Oxytocin comes when we hug others and is a great way to compensate for the negative effects of too much cortisol.
Warm regards,
Dr Javier Bajer, Cultural Architect
Editor-in-Chief, Strategic HR Review
@javierbajer