How to manage the anxiety of returning to ‘normalcy’

Mental health experts recommend easing back into things gradually when emerging from the pandemic lifestyle, no matter how quickly the rest of the world seems to be moving. After a year of new routines, it will take time to leave them behind.

Here are some tips from the experts to help you cope with the anxiety of reopening:

Go slowly: After a year of inactivity, the rapid pace of reopening — red tier! orange tier! yellow tier! — may feel a bit overwhelming.

Experts suggest moving at your own speed. Begin with activities that you feel most comfortable with and build up. Try a trip to the grocery store at a quiet time. Connect with another family for an outdoor playdate.

People may then find that “our anticipatory anxiety is often worse than the reality of the situation,” said Dr. Mercedes Kwiatkowski., a Sutter Bay Medical Foundation psychiatrist. “Our mind will make things scarier or more challenging than they are.”

Reconsider your priorities: “For a lot of us, even though this year has been really hard, there have been some positive things that have come out of it too,” said Kwiatkowski.

Think of ways the pandemic’s slower pace has suited you and how you can implement it in the future — whether by spending more time with family, creating a less stressful schedule or reducing commute stress.

“Consider the right balance for you and your obligations because in many cases, it is not going back to pre-COVID life,” said Dr. Elissa Epel, a professor and vice chair of the UCSF psychiatry department.

Ask your employer for leeway: Not everyone will be eager to return to an office or other communal work environment right away.

The experts suggest connecting with your employer for a clearer picture of what to expect. You may want to plan extra time for new health screenings and restrictions at work on the use of spaces like elevators and stairways.

Consider asking for a hybrid schedule to ease yourself back.

“Try to be prepared and go slowly,” said Kwiatkowski. “I wouldn’t jump back into seven days a week.”

Employers should also be aware of peoples’ differing needs and strengths. Some have thrived working from home and might be more productive continuing it. “Recognize this is going to be a challenge for many people, so we need to give a lot of leeway in our expectations for employees,” said Epel.

Keep doing things that make you safe: The picture may be improving, but the pandemic is not over. To help the economy recover, the same authorities who asked us to stay inside are now shifting the responsibility of safety to individuals so that bars, amusement parks and other activities can reopen.

You should continue “security blanket” practices, said Kwiatowski: wearing a mask, maintaining physical distance from people outside of your household, and washing your hands, steps that can make it easier to engage meaningfully and safely in your community.

Take your time.

Kwiatkowski advised, “If at any point anything feels uncomfortable or if you decide, ‘I’m not ready for this yet.’ Give yourself permission to leave and try again.”

Recognize it will take time to adjust: It took nearly a year to get into the quarantine groove — a lot of hours bingeing on Netflix. It could take a while for some to adjust to a new reality.

“I do think it’s individual for each person,” said Kwiatkowski. “As we have learned with the pandemic, it does ebb and flow. We can’t 100% predict what things will be like in the fall or next year. I urge people as much as they can to take it one day at a time, or one week at a time.”

Our well-being is multifaceted, she noted, and depends on foundations like sleep, healthy eating, exercise, engaging with family and friends, and contributing to our communities.

“To each of us, we fulfill those in different ways,” she said. “‘If I have the opportunity to hang out with friends, should I try that? Maybe I’m nervous about it but if I go, I will feel better afterward.’ Look at it from that perspective. Try to take it one step at a time.”

Sleep on it: If the anxiety of reopening starts to get in the way of your day-to-day activities — especially sleep — be proactive about taking care of your mental health.

Kwiatkowski encourages “intentional worry time” — even 10 or 20 minutes a day spent writing down what’s on your mind: “Sometimes getting it down on paper takes it out of our brain.”

She suggested doing that early in the day, rather than close to bedtime. And if you find yourself awake with stress in the middle of the night, you can tell yourself, “You know what? I already worried about that today. I have that time tomorrow so I’m going to set that aside for now.”