The review “Esprit”, at the bedside of a society sick with fatigue

Review of journals. “Is the Covid-19 pandemic giving rise to an epidemic of fatigue? “ This is the inaugural question of the dossier of the June issue of the journal Mind, coordinated by Jonathan Chalier and Alain Ehrenberg. The weakening of the sick, the extreme fatigue of caregivers already exhausted by the organization of hospital services, the wear and tear of precarious workers, the “mental burden” of women crushed by a double or even a triple day of work … faces of generalized overwork.

The “third wave” could be mental health. For some, fatigue is even a new social situation. For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm bells in the face of what it calls the “ pandemic fatigue »: A growing weariness with regard to restrictions and protective measures, a lack of motivation that pushes to break the rules.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also Covid-19: the difficult assessment of “pandemic fatigue” due to restrictions

In a world that values ​​action, autonomy and sociability, these constraints quickly seem unbearable. They plunge us into what Durkheim, in his time, called anomie: an imbalance, a disorder, even a social chaos, crossed by contradictory injunctions. Teleworking has made the boundaries between professional and private life porous, plaguing the phases of rest and fulfillment. Loneliness, confinement in small spaces and precariousness particularly shook young people, these large “Forgotten by the pandemic », To which Marie Jauffret-Roustide devotes an analysis.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also 18-25 year olds, a generation damaged by the pandemic

Finally, the collective fatigue generated by the pandemic is not physical, not primarily in any case: it is “Moral nature”. Symptoms are depression, sleep disturbances, anxiety and even depression. Loss of meaning, vulnerability, uncertainty, collapse of benchmarks and future prospects are the causes. Personal development, coaching and resilience have been promoted, balms applied to restore confidence… it is far from enough!

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also “Getting up, working, going to bed: I have the impression of reliving the same endless day”: the great depression of the French in the face of the crisis

This is the occasion for the historian Georges Vigarello to come back to the appearance and the taking into account of a phenomenon which says a lot about our societies. Psychic fatigue emerges with what he calls the “Society of overwork”, characterized by “Concern about a world in the process of accelerating” and complexification. A world where alerts multiply and information circulates at great speed. At the same time, we are called upon to be free, independent, emancipated. But this is not necessarily the hour of despair: “Collective exhaustion […] indicates a desire to live differently, more densely ”, But “Can lead to violence if not heard “.

You have 4.65% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.