How To Cope With Covid Re-entry Anxiety
Covid restrictions are slowly lifting, more people are getting vaccinated, and mask requirements are reduced significantly or eliminated all together. While some folks are comfortable in a group setting and in public, many are struggling with re-entry anxiety. If you find yourself anxious, you’re not alone. The transition from quarantine to what looks like pre-pandemic life will be an adjustment. In order to minimize the discomfort of re-entry there are strategies that can help you cope with the long term effects of social isolation.
Recognize The Struggle
It has been a time like no other in our communities and around the world. No one could have anticipated the sacrifices or the affect of Covid-19 on our emotional landscape. Take a personal inventory of how your life has changed. Acknowledge that the struggle has had a deep impact. Recognizing the inner journey creates an opportunity to reflect and set a new course of action to move forward.
Think in Terms of Reframing Contact
Our ‘normal’ mode of contact with friends and family has always included getting together, sharing space, and participating in events. The onset of the pandemic limited all connection. Life reassembled to what seemed like it had more restrictions than freedoms. Despite the social isolation in terms of gatherings, sharing workspace, and family celebrations, the benefit of living in a technological time is access to reframe our relationships. Although no amount of emailing, texting, or zooming replaces a good old-fashioned hug or mug of coffee across the table, reaching out to people on a regular basis has gone a long way. Scheduling time for calls, facetiming, or sending cards can lift the mood and support a healthy means of genuine communication. There are many ways to re-engage and show others we care. It may take just a moment to let someone know you are thinking of them and isn’t that moment worth it?
Make Plans for a Slow Return to Normalcy
If you’re nervous about re-entry take it slow by starting with safe outdoor activities. Set boundaries as you explore what you’re comfortable with. Lucky for us, spring is here and summer is arriving. Inviting friends and family to take a walk, spend time in nature, and planning small outdoor gatherings are just a few ways to jumpstart what has been missed for so long, connecting with those who mean the most to us. Finding time to look to the future, making plans for gradual reentry in the shared spaces can reestablish a sense of newness along the road of the life we’ve missed.