SR0102 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0102 LRB102 14013 LAW 19365 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Statewide quarantining to reduce the spread of COVID-19 has left many feeling the effects of what Northwestern Medicine Psychologist Jacqueline K. Gollan, Ph.D., calls caution fatigue; and

WHEREAS, Caution fatigue is explained as an exhaustive, increasingly apathetic and desensitizing feeling toward COVID-19 and its preventative measures, as well as a growing restlessness and aversion to stagnation and self-isolation; and

WHEREAS, Research on self-isolating and loneliness were published in a new report in 2020 from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), which notes that more than one-third of adults aged 45 and older feel lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated; and

WHEREAS, Additional studies published in November of 2020, titled The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19, concluded that social distancing and school closures may increase mental health problems in children and adolescents, who are already at higher risk of developing mental health problems compared to adults, at a time when they are also experiencing anxiety over a health threat and threats to family employment/income; and

WHEREAS, The spring of 2021 will brings the opportunity to safely reintroduce outdoor activities to the general public; hiking routes, walking paths, and bike trails will offer Illinois residents, who have been isolating and quarantining in their homes through the winter, a chance to go outside, which hosts a list of health benefits; and

WHEREAS, Studies published in the last decade by Harvard Medical School note that spending time outdoors is not only beneficial to physical health but has a dramatic effect on mental health as well; and

WHEREAS, Sunlight hitting the skin begins a process that leads to the creation and activation of vitamin D within the body; studies suggest that vitamin D helps fight certain conditions, from osteoporosis and cancer to depression and heart attacks; and

WHEREAS, Physical activity, such as walking, cycling, and doing other things that put the body in motion, promotes the release of endorphins, a chemical produced by the brain and spinal cord that produces feelings of happiness and euphoria; endorphins are a scientifically-proven mood booster, decreasing symptoms of both depression and anxiety; and

WHEREAS, Walking and cycling, as forms of physical exercise, have been proven to provide stress relief, heighten endurance, improve sleep quality and mood, and increase energy, stamina, and mental alertness, as well as reduce cholesterol and improve cardiovascular fitness; and

WHEREAS, The promotion of increased walking and biking, coupled with proper social distancing procedures and guidelines, can help Illinois residents combat feelings of loneliness, stagnation, stress, anxiety, and depression that are exacerbated by the self-isolations and quarantines of COVID-19 prevention and caution fatigue; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the State promote increased walking and biking in Illinois in an effort to help reinvigorate mental fortitude amidst a global health crisis and support planning that increases the walkability and bikeability throughout the State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Illinois residents to breathe new life into their daily activities by practicing outdoor physical fitness while exercising proper social distancing and mask wearing when necessary.