7 Ways To Manage Re-Entry Anxiety Post Lockdown
Learn 7 Effective Ways To Manage Re-Entry Anxiety And Ease Back Into Your Life Post Lockdown.
The past year has been challenging to say the least. We have lived through the Covid-19 pandemic, a national lockdown, and now we are about to enter into a new phase — the transition into a post-pandemic society.
As Lockdown restrictions across the UK and many parts of the world begin to ease, some (extroverts) will relish the idea of embracing the new normal, however, for others, returning to society will seem like a very daunting task.
The Lockdown has prevented many of us from leaving our homes. The prospect of returning to the outside world, may not only seem difficult, but almost impossible. As a result of being isolated in our homes, reentry fear is now an unfortunate consequence of remaining inside too long without any social contact.
Re-entry anxiety is a common form of anxiety, but most people have never experienced it until now. We will talk about what this form of anxiety is, how to identify it, and give you some ways to manage post lockdown anxiety, so it doesn't affect your mental health.
We will also discuss what a post-pandemic society will look like and how you can be a part of it because as Beyoncé would say, we have to slay, we have to conquer this.
Image: Lulia
What is Re-entry anxiety?
It is a feeling of emotions and worry that occurs when thinking about entering into society after a period of isolation. It is the fear of becoming entangled once again in all aspects of life. This anxiety can be significantly magnified by the unknown, this being that no one quite knows what the new normal will look like, as this Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to live lives and lifestyles that we had never previously experienced or even considered.
How to identify Re-entry anxiety?
It is not very specific, but can be identified by the level of hesitation you feel when thinking about returning to your old life. Every person has different levels of discomfort, and a person's level of hesitation will depend on their situation and their emotional state at the time they return. If you find that your desire to reconnect with others has lessened, you are having feelings of fear and distress when you think of leaving your home or area during and after this coronavirus lockdown, then you may have symptoms of anxiety.
Image: Lulia
How to Cope With “Re-Entry Anxiety…
Talk about it.
Talking about your feelings can go a long way to helping you feel better. This is useful if you have family, friends, a support group, or a medical health professional with whom you can be open and honest.
Visualise what your life will look like as you re-enter.
The more detailed and specific the image, the better. You might want to start simply by visualising yourself walking into a store or an area that you have already been to whilst under quarantine or lockdown. Pre- visualisation eases any form of anxiety.
Ease yourself in social situations.
You may be hesitant to return to society, but by slowly easing yourself into social environments, you'll allow yourself to get more comfortable, behaving the way you would have had before the coronavirus lockdown occurred
Keep a worry diary.
Track the changes that happen as you return to society. For example, there may be certain behaviours that now make you feel uncomfortable. If so, write the date and time this behaviour happened. Furthermore, note what the other person was doing if there was more than one person present. You can even include what you were doing at the time and your feelings at that moment. This will be very helpful in figuring out if you have a long-term problem that needs to be corrected by meeting mental health professional, or if this is a re-entry fear.
Avoid things that make you feel uneasy.
If there are certain things, places, or people that make you feel uneasy while you're in lockdown, avoid them for now when it's time to return to society.
Meditate, Breathe and Sleep.
A great way to deal with stressful situations on a day-to-day basis is to practice deep breathing and meditation. They are both effective ways of getting rid of anxiety or stress and can help you when it comes time to re-enter society. Take a few deep breaths before you leave your area or your house, and you'll be surprised at how much they can calm you down and help you relax!
Be patient.
Remember that it will take time to adjust back into society, so don't get impatient or frustrated with yourself. Just keep doing what you're doing with patience and practice. However, once you have decided to ease into re-entry, you may find that it wasn't such a difficult hurdle after all.
Image: Lulia
Post-Pandemic Society — The New Normal.
A post-pandemic society will be different in many ways and your guess is as good as ours as what that will look like. However, we can all agree that the world has changed, and we need to adapt. As we enter into post-Covid life, our advice is to embrace it. This is an opportunity to become the best version of ourselves as we seek to survive and thrive in a post-pandemic world. It's our time to shape the future how we want it to be. If you want to be the kind of person that takes advantage of this opportunity to thrive, do it. If you envision a world where there is peace, spread love. If you want a world where everyone takes care of each other, do this. The future is yours to create and live. While fear is an understandable reaction, we can choose to embrace the unknown instead of being paralysed by it.
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