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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Statewide quarantining to reduce the spread of
3COVID-19 has left many feeling the effects of what
4Northwestern Medicine Psychologist Jacqueline K. Gollan,
5Ph.D., calls caution fatigue; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Caution fatigue is explained as an exhaustive,
7increasingly apathetic and desensitizing feeling toward
8COVID-19 and its preventative measures, as well as a growing
9restlessness and aversion to stagnation and self-isolation;
10and
 
11    WHEREAS, Research on self-isolating and loneliness were
12published in a new report in 2020 from the National Academies
13of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), which notes
14that more than one-third of adults aged 45 and older feel
15lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are
16considered to be socially isolated; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Additional studies published in November of 2020,
18titled The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the
19Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of
20COVID-19, concluded that social distancing and school closures
21may increase mental health problems in children and
22adolescents, who are already at higher risk of developing

 

 

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1mental health problems compared to adults, at a time when they
2are also experiencing anxiety over a health threat and threats
3to family employment/income; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The spring of 2021 will brings the opportunity to
5safely reintroduce outdoor activities to the general public;
6hiking routes, walking paths, and bike trails will offer
7Illinois residents, who have been isolating and quarantining
8in their homes through the winter, a chance to go outside,
9which hosts a list of health benefits; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Studies published in the last decade by Harvard
11Medical School note that spending time outdoors is not only
12beneficial to physical health but has a dramatic effect on
13mental health as well; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Sunlight hitting the skin begins a process that
15leads to the creation and activation of vitamin D within the
16body; studies suggest that vitamin D helps fight certain
17conditions, from osteoporosis and cancer to depression and
18heart attacks; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Physical activity, such as walking, cycling, and
20doing other things that put the body in motion, promotes the
21release of endorphins, a chemical produced by the brain and
22spinal cord that produces feelings of happiness and euphoria;

 

 

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1endorphins are a scientifically-proven mood booster,
2decreasing symptoms of both depression and anxiety; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Walking and cycling, as forms of physical
4exercise, have been proven to provide stress relief, heighten
5endurance, improve sleep quality and mood, and increase
6energy, stamina, and mental alertness, as well as reduce
7cholesterol and improve cardiovascular fitness; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The promotion of increased walking and biking,
9coupled with proper social distancing procedures and
10guidelines, can help Illinois residents combat feelings of
11loneliness, stagnation, stress, anxiety, and depression that
12are exacerbated by the self-isolations and quarantines of
13COVID-19 prevention and caution fatigue; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
15ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the State promote
16increased walking and biking in Illinois in an effort to help
17reinvigorate mental fortitude amidst a global health crisis
18and support planning that increases the walkability and
19bikeability throughout the State; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we encourage Illinois residents to breathe
21new life into their daily activities by practicing outdoor
22physical fitness while exercising proper social distancing and

 

 

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1mask wearing when necessary.