Firstly, this is not any sort of advice for wellbeing. These are just thoughts in my head and probably won’t help you much. If you’re looking for that type of wellbeing advice you can check here and here.
So anyway…
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted how many of us operate from the basic hygiene that we follow, the wearing of masks, to the social distancing guidelines. The way that we would usually socialise has changed.
On top of that, we have the anxiety that is involved with the consistent worry about the virus and contracting it whenever you go outside. This cannot be something we can maintain.
As I consider my kids, one of whom will be heading back to school on the 20th July, I know that in her head she will be concerned about the possibility of getting sick and bringing it home. The nudges to wash hands and wear masks as a constant reminder of the time in which we are. No one wants our kids to be facing this.
And people are understandably concerned at the office. You’re in an enclosed area with people who you have no idea of where they may have been, and everyone is touching everything. Luckily I have seen businesses taking precautions to protect their people, which is a good thing. However, the anxiety remains.
The question of when things can go back to what it was is uncertain. This is the new normal, they say.
The new normal shouldn’t feel this way. Worry and anxiety should not be normal.