The past two years have not been comfortable. The past two years with the Coronavirus have been unprecedented, uncomfortable, unpredictable and the unknown of what lays ahead has been crippling. The go to solution essentially has been to isolate yourself whether it is working from home or working remotely “meeting” coworkers over Zoom or Skype. After two years of isolating and working from home, this isolation has become the new normal and people have become comfortable with this concept. Going back to work and being in the presence of others suddenly becomes anxiety inducing.
With the seriousness of the Coronavirus, distancing was the right call to make. The world does not stop, even for this virus and it has been proven that working from home works. In some cases, it works better. Employees are arguing about wanting more of the workweek to be from home where there is less hassle in the morning getting children to school and getting to work themselves.
Whatever happens to the workweek when it is safe to go back to work, there is a price with staying in a comfort zone. The price is stagnating personal and/or professional growth. This is true in any area of life. Anything that becomes stagnant does not grow. Anything that needs to be pushed past, such as a pain barrier whether after a surgery or rehabilitation from an accident; if a person does not put in the necessary work, they remain stuck, if not getting worse if that barrier of uncomfortableness is not pushed through.
Take Coronavirus out of the picture. Any area of everyday life can get “comfortable” and possibly stagnant if there is no challenge or change. Exercise is a great allegory as there is literal discomfort when a person is pushed past limitations whether that is lifting a certain amount of weight or exercising past a specific time.
As a self-professed introvert, one area I am very tempted to not push is keeping up with friends and family. It is so easy to say “no, thank you” to a family event or phone conversation with a friend because it interferes with work, or I just want that time do decompress. I can easily play the medical card and say I am not feeling well. Deep inside I know if I do press through the discomfort of getting up earlier for a phone call with a friend or driving a distance to see a friend or family, I will get so much more out it being in the presence of a friend with a deep connection.
With the past two years, it is so easy to shelve any invitation for fear of the unknown. Even though more people seem to have received their COVID vaccinations and booster shots, a person does not know for sure. That small percentage of uncertainty can stamp out 100% certainty of saying yes and following through with connecting with other people.
Over time, things will get better and back to normal. However, there has been close to two years of this “new normal” which we have become used to. Going to that weekly dinner with family suddenly is a large effort.
One way to get back to the old normal pre-COVID is to set reasonable expectations. Instead of going back to life as it was, take a step back to not get overwhelmed and realize the past two years have been traumatic and life altering. Recognize the trauma for what it is and build back slowly.
The good news is that even though people have not seen as much of each other as they would have liked, communication has not changed. Relationships have still held up, but it just has not been in person. All that getting back to normal is not something you will be doing alone.
With the holidays coming up, make those plans. Be sure to set up reasonable goals and to realize it is perfectly alright for things to still feel not quite back to normal. At least we are all getting there!
If you are looking for a therapist near you then a Google search is a great way of finding one. I happen to be a therapist in Charlotte, NC but am licensed to counsel anyone in the state of North Carolina. In Google, try looking for “psychotherapist,” “find therapist,” “therapy near me,” or even “counseling charlotte, nc.” If you feel like you have hit a wall you are not able to get past, call me at (704) 458-6298 or email me at jeffhelms@clearerthoughtspllc.com.
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