Feeling reentry anxiety? Expert advice on navigating COVID-19 reopenings

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Lake County News on 5/25/2021 by Brandon R. Reynolds

As COVID-19 vaccinations continue, and cities and states move toward full reopening, many people are feeling reentry anxiety — an uneasiness about returning to the old normal of schools and offices, hugs and handshakes, and social gatherings large and small.

The American Psychological Association reports that Americans are experiencing the highest levels of stress since April 2020, and that half of surveyed adults are uneasy about returning to in-person interactions. It’s as if each of us, having spent the last year adrift in space, alone or in our small pods, now has to navigate a reentry into coexistence.

“Reentering the busy world will be a new type of stress, because we’re not used to it anymore,” said Elissa Epel, PhD, professor and vice chair in the Department of Psychiatry. “It simply has a lot of challenges embedded into it: being in traffic, getting to work on time, parking, managing family schedules, and having social interactions all day. Those are the small things that can add up to leave you feeling overstimulated or exhausted, making it an unpleasant transition.”

There’s no right or wrong way to handle reentry, but mental health experts offer some advice: communicate your needs, go at your own pace, and think of the changes as a way to build resilience.