Around the globe, more and more people are lining up to take a long-awaited jab or two in the arm. For many, an aching deltoid and a couple of feverish days of chills and a headache are a welcome price to pay for admission to post-pandemic life.
But what is that, exactly? No one really knows, and now everyone is trying to awkwardly figure it out all at once.
How do we do this?
What do we do?
When?
There was not a handbook for how to be a human in a pandemic. Similarly, no list of rules exists for reclaiming your life after surviving the cornapocalypse.
The world has been in survival mode for a very long time. "I can't wait until…" has been followed by longing dreams of normalcy. No more dirty masks laying in the bottom of your car. Standing close enough to someone to tell if they forgot to put on deodorant. Unrashioned cleaning supplies. It is common for people to wish away the hard in the season they are in currently. Yet, we often forget unique stressors wait for us at every stage of existence.
As individuals slowly emerge from the haze of the pandemic, they are beginning to realize new challenges are ahead. A new wave of anxiety about what is "next" is hitting many people. They've been so focused on getting to the light at the end of the tunnel, now that it's here, their eyes are having difficulty adjusting to the new view.
Transitions are inherently stressful, even when you are shifting to something better. Change is cognitively demanding and can be physically draining. Returning to offices, adjusting to new sleep schedules, commuting, and wearing real pants every day are simultaneous adjustments starting to stack on top of each other.
Many people are experiencing a confusing fusion of excitement, hope, relief, anxiety, dread, and trepidation as we mark the one-year anniversary of life locking down. I'll share with you a secret straight from the shrink's sofa: some people have been secretly dreading the world reopening. They've grown comfortable and accustomed to their pandemic cocoon. A slower pace. More control over their schedules. They fear facing new, higher expectations.
The pandemic protected people from the pressure to overfill their calendars with things they didn't have the time, energy, money, or desire to do. Remember: you don't need a life-threatening virus as an excuse not to over-schedule your life.
Pandemic constraints created an opportunity to step back and take stock of what they want in their life. For the first time, people practiced doing many things differently, at a slower pace. It is time to choose what you want to keep coming out of this last year. Mark now the lessons you've learned because, before long, the salience of what you have experienced will start to fade.
Decide: What do you want?
You have authorship and agency over how you run your life.
Use it wisely.
As we step into a new unknown, it is paramount that people extend extra grace to themselves and others. Lower your expectations. Individuals are transitioning into recovery and healing mode after enduring something difficult for a prolonged period of time. People don't rebound from trauma overnight. The pandemic has impacted lives in different ways. Some individuals' pain may be largely invisible to most people—especially in public and professional contexts. Understand as people are stepping back into the world, many will be a bit wobbly.
As we reenter and reconnect, ask thoughtful questions and seek actual answers. Discover peoples' stories. Share your own. And please, don't stop talking about mental health. We don't need a global pandemic to talk about the widespread reality of depression and anxiety in our world. It shouldn't take Oprah and a princess to give us permission to discuss the fact that suicidal ideation is serious and often has a beautiful, shining face in public.
If you've learned anything in the last twelve months, it is that you can do hard things. Keep doing hard things. It’s how we grow.
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If there is someone in your life who needs things like better sleep, improved relationships, managing stress, and becoming more self-aware invite them to the inbox party. The invitation may be the gentle nudge needed to help improve their EQ.