It’s been a challenging year and we’ve seen several historical moments unfold, right before our eyes. One of the persistent issues everyone has had to navigate is how to personally manage the pandemic and the impact it’s had on life as you know it. For some, this has meant business as usual and yet for others it’s meant something much more – increased concern for health and safety, decreased interaction with others, increased conflict with the members of individual households, working from home and so much more. Now that there has been some momentum built around vaccinations, many people are trying to figure out what that means for the “new normal.” Is it safe to hang out with friends now, should I plan that vacation this summer, will I be going back to working in person, how will these variants of the virus impact the future? Essentially, many people are struggling with Re-Entry Anxiety – how do I navigate decisions to balance safety, meaningful activity and the risk of exposure to the virus? If any of this sounds familiar, know that you’re not alone. In fact, there are growing numbers of people trying to figure out this exact same thing. We’ve been asked as a society to drastically change our behaviors over the course of the last year and now we’re faced with decisions that a year ago felt unsafe and posed a risk of exposure to COVID. Now, maybe…some of these things are safe…or safer!
It’s important that as these decisions and moments present themselves to time to practice self-compassion, tolerance and patience. Everyone moves at their own speed with varying degrees of comfort levels. So, take a lot of deep breaths and listen to your “gut” or “intuition.” Move at your own pace and don’t let others comfort levels push you to move too quickly into your “new normal.” Evaluate the pros and cons of each situation and remember that we are social beings and isolating ourselves from friends and loved ones has been a part of this process, but so is learning how to face the discomfort of moving into the future. It’s important to not let fear and worry paralyze you, but we can approach it with a mindfulness and gentleness as you figure out the new boundaries of your comfort zone. Re-Entry might be disorienting at times but remember how wonderful it can be to share space and time with those you love, doing things you love.