Dealing with Post COVID Anxiety
What does normal even feel like anymore? “Normal” seems like an eternity ago, and getting back to it isn’t necessarily realistic. Now that we’re in the midst of transitioning back to “normal” life, many of us are finding out that maybe our old normal isn’t going to work for us anymore.
Since vaccination rates have gone up and people are going back to their offices, many folks are experiencing anxiety for the first time in their lives. Or maybe this isn’t the first time, but it’s certainly worse than it’s been before. What we say to that is… of course you’re anxious!
We spent roughly a whole year operating from home. Meals, shopping, school, work, and activities all took place in the same building. There were certainly negatives to this. But for many of the clients at our San Francisco counseling office, there were many positives, too.
So now that this is getting reversed, not only are we having to rethink the logistics of our days, but we also have to figure out how to regulate our mood and emotions as we encounter social situations once again. Plus, many of us have some newfound insight into ourselves about how “normal” wasn’t as good as we may have thought originally.
Newly Found Social Anxiety
After a year of being at home, many of us have found self-care routines or hobbies that make our alone time more valuable than ever before. Now that restrictions are lifting, those of us that have found comfort in our homes are expected to go back to socialization as usual. But it’s just not that easy.
For many, the pandemic reminded us that being an introvert and spending time alone is okay. The world tells us that if we’re not attending events, meeting friends for dinner on the weekends, or progressing in our careers, we’re failing. If we’re not social “enough” and productive “enough,” then society makes us feel that we’re not enough in any sense.
So for those of us that have become more in-tune with our introverted ways, coming out of the pandemic is challenging. We were able to sit with ourselves and our emotions and reflect. Now that we’re moving back to high-speed life, we’re expected to check off our to-do lists and exceed expectations yet again.
Increased Expectations
During the pandemic, many of us had a simple commute. Get up, do the morning routine, then plop down in a chair (let’s be real… it was the couch some days) and do our work. Our productivity stayed the same or even increased. And we didn’t have to worry about sitting in hours of traffic at the beginning and end of our workdays.
So now that you’re being asked to do all the things, between figuring out daycare, filling up your gas tank twice a week, and interacting face-to-face with coworkers, it’s just too much. Our lives were simplified during the pandemic. The stressors of daily life were lifted for a moment, but they’re back in full swing now and feeling much heavier than before.
Serious Burn Out
Getting back to the grind of managing your personal and professional lives has you exhausted and burned out already. You haven’t tried on real work clothes since last spring, and you’re dreading looking at yourself in the mirror for fear of the weight you gained during quarantine. The ability to work independently during the pandemic may have brought out your most creative self. And the thought of socializing in the break room with your coworkers sends you into a spiral of social anxiety. What will they think of me? Do I even fit in here anymore? Does this job even matter to me anymore? I wonder if my coworkers also feel this way…
Transitioning Back to “Normal”
The rapid transition back to in-person life has been overwhelming. There are so many feelings tied to it all. Many folks are still grieving the lives they once had before the pandemic. They lost loved ones, relationships, living situations, pets, and more. And going back to “normal” doesn’t sit right quite yet. These feelings can reinforce burnout because you weren’t even ready to go back to work, to begin with… and now it just feels like it is entirely too much.
At the same time, there’s excitement. We get to see and embrace our loved ones again. But many of us have changed drastically as individuals since the start of the pandemic. Many people have done internal work that has led them to discover new aspects of themselves. This internal work may manifest as now identifying with a different gender identity or sexual orientation, discovering a deep childhood trauma, or leaving a toxic relationship. For many, the changes that we went through during the pandemic led us to transform parts of our lives. So meeting up with friends, family, and even acquaintances that you last spoke to over a year ago can be highly anxiety-inducing.
The expectations of you to be your “normal” self need to be thrown out. We’ve all experienced so much in the last year that presenting as the people we once were would be unhealthy. But we’re being forced into it as the world expects us to come out of quarantine as perfected, highly productive “normal” versions of ourselves. The transition out of quarantine is going to be (and already is) challenging for many people. That’s why we believe that working with a therapist during this time can be so critical for your mental health.
Counseling for Life Transitions Can Help with Post COVID Anxiety
Change brings uncertainty, and uncertainty can lead to anxiety. We’ve all become way too familiar with uncertainty in the past year, and many of us are suffering from the impacts of heightened anxiety. However, the therapists at our San Francisco, CA counseling center have helped people with a variety of anxiety-inducing life transitions over the years. And while the transitions to life post-pandemic are rather new, our team has the expertise to help you navigate them all. Over the course of the past year, it’s likely that you’ve gone through multiple life transitions. So working with a therapist in person or online now to process all of this can be really beneficial for your mental health both now and in the future. If you’re ready to get started, please schedule a free 20-minute consultation with us.
Other Services at California Integrative Counseling Center
While we specialize in helping folks in ADHD treatment, our therapists provide multiple services to support your emotional and mental wellness. We understand that life transitions can be tricky to navigate, so we want to help in counseling for life transitions. And with transitions, often come relationship struggles, which can be addressed in couples therapy. And if you’ve come to us for support with ADHD, check out our ADHD support group. We hope that you can find the resources and services you need at our San Francisco, CA counseling center. If you have more questions about us, please reach out!
The information contained in or made available through www.caintegrativecounseling.com cannot replace or substitute for the services of trained professionals in the medical field. We do not recommend any specific treatment, drug, food or supplement. The content on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or received from California Integrative Counseling Center. www.caintegrativecounseling.com contains links to outside websites that are not maintained by California Integrative Counseling Center, and is not responsible for the content or endorse any site.