3/22/2023 0 Comments Easytime spiritThey used the alcohol as a way to calm their anxiety and some drank out of shear boredom. Avoid or minimize alcohol– During the pandemic the one thing that people consistently talked to me about was their increased alcohol use.If it is out of your control let it go as the energy spent on it is an unproductive waste of time and only makes you feel worse. Consider journaling as a way to get in touch with how you are feeling about what you can and cannot control. We couldn’t engage in our normal activities, go out to eat, visit our loved ones, travel safely or even feel comfortable about a hug. Recognize what you can control– The number one thing that most people experienced during this time is the loss of control over their lives.Mindfulness creates positive brain changes in that it lowers our blood pressure and heart rate as well as decreasing stress hormones being released. Being in the present helps to empower us to deal with the reality in front of us. When we are living in the past, we have regrets and remorse about what we missed or lost. Practice being in the present moment– When we are in the future, we have anxiety about what will come.This will ease your anxiety and give you more of a sense of control over your world. Talk to your employer– If you have been at home through covid and you work in a setting with people who may or may not be vaccinated talk to your employer to see what kind of accommodations can be made for you, so you feel safer.If you are getting together with friends for the first time, consider a smaller group with people you know well and who are vaccinated. If you haven’t been to a restaurant and are nervous about being inside start with a friend who is vaccinated and try to sit outside. Start Small– If you haven’t been getting out much throughout this time consider taking small steps.Just because your friend or family member is having an easy time doesn’t mean you should. Everyone has a unique perspective on re-entry and each must be honored. Above all though the most important thing is to take things at your own pace and make no apologies for it. Mental health experts offer some of the following solutions or aids to help the transition go smoother. It has left many people exhausted and anxious and uncertain about how to handle individual choices as they return to this new life. For quite some time we haven’t dealt with traffic, parking or managing schedules especially if you have children and back to interacting with people all day long. The “re-entering” is difficult in that it creates a new stress that we aren’t used to. This has been termed “re-entry anxiety” and it presents as an uneasiness about returning to the old ways in which we interacted at school and our offices, gave hugs and handshakes and attend things like sporting events or larger social gatherings. This is further mitigated by the fact that the new Delta variant has been gaining traction daily. We have become habituated to this way of life over the past year and a half and now we must readjust again to something that is familiar yet still foreign. Just as we all had different pandemic experiences there will be diversity in our re-entry experiences.Īccording to the American Psychological Association Americans are experiencing the highest levels of stress since April 2020 and half of surveyed adults are uneasy about returning to in person interactions. For many others, including children it has brought with it a new level of anxiety. Now that things are opening back up many are extremely happy and have slipped back into their previous life with little to no resistance. We have suffered isolation, lost loved ones, jobs and income, dealt with food scarcity and missed precious moments with our loved ones and so much more. It has been a very long and arduous journey that we have all been on for the past year and a half.
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