Navigating Your Anxiety Post Pandemic
Author: Colleen Woodward
As summer is coming into full swing, and the world as we know it is changing once again to adapt to post lockdown, don’t be surprised if a mix of feelings comes your way. Anxiety, fear, uncertainty, excitement, happiness, relief- all of these emotions may be rushing in at the same time. You may be excited to get back out to your favorite restaurants, but feel uncertain if you’re ready to attend a large group gathering. Thoughts like, “Will I miss out on even more if I don’t go to this big party after not seeing my friends or family for so long?”, “Will I act awkward when I see people in person again?”, “What if I look weird if I’m the only one still wanting to wear a mask?” might be swirling in your head.
First, I want to normalize this. We have gone through a year of trauma and anxiety due to a global pandemic that none of us could have been prepared for. I can’t imagine a way in which we would come out of this situation not feeling anxious or hesitant to rush back out to all of our normal ways of living.
Challenges that may come up for you, even if you have never experienced them prior to the pandemic, can look like; general anxiety, social anxiety, uncertainty over what is the “right” thing to do, not feeling comfortable attending events or traveling yet, experiencing FOMO if you don’t attend events, or not feeling ready to take your mask off.
As you face these challenges head-on in the coming weeks and months, I encourage you to take a moment and think of all you have been through this last year. Collectively, we have experienced trauma between the pandemic itself, watching thousands of people lose their lives, while also grappling with the racial injustices that continue to pour over the news night after night. Give yourself a moment to pause and recognize all that you have witnessed, and the impact this has all had on your mental and physical health. While all of this has been happening, you’ve still been dealing with your own personal day-to-day struggles and successes (because you’re allowed to recognize the good that happened to you throughout this last year too).
As you continue to navigate through the world reopening, there are a few things that you can do to support yourself through it:
Identify and communicate your needs
Being able to name what you need while moving forward into this next phase of reopening is important. Do you need to ease into going out more? What are your limits for social interactions or going back into the office? By identifying what you are comfortable with you can effectively communicate these to the people in your life.
Move at your own pace
Maybe you are feeling comfortable with a small dinner with friends outdoors but you’re not ready for a full party yet, or maybe you’re ready for the party but not for traveling. Despite where your friends or family are at, it is important to pace yourself so that you don’t feel overwhelmed and anxious.
Set boundaries
The boundaries that you had prior to the pandemic may no longer be working for you. Take into consideration where you’re at at this moment, and decide whether or not your boundaries need to shift. For example, with working from home you may have experienced a heightened intensity with always needing to be “on”, and maybe now that things are shifting you need to set boundaries about how much time you are spending online working. Remember, if everything is urgent, then what is really urgent?
If you are sensing your anxiety kicking into high gear, be sure that you are pulling tools out of your coping skills toolbox. If you need to build those up, here are a few that may work for you:
Journaling
Journaling is a great way to release the emotions and thoughts that are cycling through your head. If you’re unsure of where to start when writing, here are a few prompts that can help you get started:
What has been helpful for me when venturing out? What has not?
What have I done for myself today?
What am I feeling right now? What is present in my body?
Mindfulness
A great way to ground yourself in the present moment, especially now that we’re out and about in the city, is to take a short ‘color walk’. Walk down your favorite street or neighborhood, choose a color, and try to point out all of the things you see that are that color. This allows you to bring your thoughts to the present moment, and focus on the here and now.
Seeking support
This can be the support of your family and friends, or from a mental health professional. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Self Care
It’s important to recognize what type of self-care you may need. We like to break it down into social, emotional, psychological, and physical self-care. Self-care can look like connecting with a friend, reading a good book, taking a walk, painting, taking a nap, going to therapy- whatever it is that you need to fill your cup up again.