5 Ways to Manage Anxiety as the World Opens Up Again
4 minute read.
Pandemic Anxiety.
This piece is being written and posted in May 2021. We recently passed the 1 year anniversary of the stay-at-home order in Pennsylvania and many other US states.
A little over a year has gone by since we watched Italy be ravaged by an illness that we knew was coming for us. As this is being written, India is experiencing a similar if not worse tragedy, that is equally heartbreaking to watch.
It is safe to say that as a world, we have had to make changes, acclimate and grow accustomed to the new normal we were forced into. Many of us became sick, many saw loved ones die, many lost employment, their homes, their way of life.
The devastating losses experienced by so many will make for a sharp decrease in quality of life for years to come.
Human beings are incredibly adaptable, despite how we label ourselves. This means that no matter what is thrown at us, we find a way to adjust. We do not always choose the most healthy or sustainable option, either because we do not have the resources or the support, but we will make a change. Now that we are preparing for the world to open up again, many (including yours truly) are apprehensive about facing yet another massive set of changes.
While a return to “normalcy” may be months or even years from now, this is the first time that we can realistically conceptualize it. More Americans are vaccinated every day and experts have found effective ways to treat symptoms of COVID-19 and it’s variants.
*Fun fact, American’s have heard “Return to Normalcy” before under similar circumstances. From wikipedia - “‘Return to normalcy’ was United States presidential candidate Warren G. Harding's campaign slogan for the election of 1920. It evoked a return to the way of life before World War I, the First Red Scare, and the Spanish flu pandemic.”*
I put this short list together because every day, clients are wondering how they will be able to navigate this change. Happy reading!
1. Take small steps.
No need to dive back into a fully packed social calendar. Feel free to slowly open your time up (as the world is - or should be), making room for engagements that are not likely to overwhelm you and trigger a regression.
I recommend picking one or two days per week in which you can schedule time with loved ones. As your comfort with in-person socializing increases, you can open up more days. But what if one or two days are enough?...
2. Keep what you have grown to love.
Have you enjoyed Saturday nights in? Working from home? Limiting contact with individuals or activities that give you stress? Maybe you are happy to not be watching the news everyday, skipping regular happy hours and meeting the social demands of all your friends.
There is no rule that says you need to spend a certain number of hours per week socializing in order to be a successful adult. Our highly stressful lifestyles do not end at work, but permeate our social, romantic and familial time as well.
Try not to confuse knowing your limits for isolation. You do not need to overload. Period.
3. Keep your boundaries.
It is safe to say that the stay-at-home order and subsequent recommendation to social distance and keep visits short spared us grief from spending time with at least one person in our life who is draining.
Do these boundaries need to be lifted? No. Will there be push back? Likely. For all the tragedy it wrought, the pandemic gave us an excuse to set boundaries and empowered us to keep safe.
As the illness thankfully becomes less threatening, we may feel we are in need of another excuse to keep our distance. So how can we stay empowered to maintain these much needed boundaries?
By reminding ourselves that our mental health is just as important and easily threatened as our physical health. Talk to your therapist, friends or partner about ways that you can keep boundaries with those whose personalities do not serve you.
4. Ask for exceptions.
Did you enjoy working from home? Did you grow attached to your blazer, lipstick and sweatpants like I did? Ask your boss if you can keep it up. In most cases*, there is no harm in asking management for a hybrid schedule or if appropriate, for your position to be fully remote.
Worst case scenario? They say no. Best case scenario? You stick to a work setting that is comfortable for you and is conducive to you doing your job.
*Of course, this is a privileged take on an issue that is not discussed frequently enough. Many of us have had experiences with employers who punish requests for comfort, either inadvertently by labeling us as “lazy” and passing us up on good shifts or a promotion, or directly by terminating us (at least in Pennsylvania, which is an “at will” state).
If you do have an employer that punishes for asking for comfort and you are unable to find other employment, I would not recommend this.
5. Be kind to yourself.
You are more than likely responding appropriately to an outrageously atypical situation. Think about it this way, not only did you survive a deadly illness that baffled physicians and scientists, but you adjusted and lived for an entire year within this state.
Now you are being asked to make yet ANOTHER change. It is fair to say that you can give yourself time to adjust, to heal, to grow, to assess your needs. Just take your time.
