How to deal with anxiety of an open summer since Covid-19

Summer is here! With the CDC loosening it’s guidelines for those who have gotten the Covid vaccine, many of us will be going out more frequently and doing less social distancing. While this is exciting for many, it is anxiety-provoking for others. It can also bring some expectations and assumptions about what life after pandemic will look like. I had a client tell me she felt that she wasted a lot of time indoors during the pandemic and now that she is vaccinated, she is upset that her life still feels the same because her friends got used to hanging out without her. This summer could be especially difficult for those who were strict about quarantining and social distancing during the pandemic. If you fall in this category, here are a few tips to reduce your anxiety and enjoy your summer:

Decide what you are doing about the Covid vaccination. Have you taken the vaccine? Have you decided not to take the vaccine? Are you still thinking about it? Is it bothering you that you don’t know what to do about it? Indecision is a decision in itself. Prolonging your indecision can increase anxiety and stress especially if you are someone who is prone to being anxious. It could be helpful to give yourself a time frame, say in the next 2 weeks, you will decide what to do and take some steps to do it. Do you need to do more research regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine? Then do so! Do you need to talk to more people about their experiences taking the vaccine? Then do so. Do you need to pray and have faith? Then do so. After you have done all that is within your power, move forward and don’t look back. We cannot control everything, it takes some faith to trust the decision you make.
Make summer plans. Can you believe it is already June 2021? Before you know it, the summer will be gone and you will look back and think, what did I do all summer? If you haven’t already, this is a good time to make some summer plans. What are some things you would like to do? These could be small to big things e.g. sit out on your patio more frequently, go out for dinner with your spouse, have a picnic, discover more parks, take a vacation, take a trip with family or friends. Again, what are some things you want to do this summer? Write them down and start making the plans to do them.
Choose to connect with others. During the pandemic, many of us didn’t get to see family or friends in-person. Thank God for technology that allowed us to connect virtually. It may be easy to reconnect with some people, but there are probably others we lost contact with throughout the pandemic. Maybe because we mostly saw them in group settings. This is part of the reality of the pandemic after-effects. Think about the relationships you want to foster (write down the names if that will help). You may need to work a little harder to rebuild some friendships. Accept this and be patient with the process.
Embrace the weirdness when connecting in-person. With things opening back up, meeting in person could bring many emotions, excitement, anxiety, weirdness. Embrace the weirdness! We are all going to be adjusting to the oddness of meeting again. “Should I hug you?” “Should I wear a mask?” “Should I shake your hand?” I don’t know. Maybe take your mask anyway. If you have looser boundaries and are fine with hugging and no mask-wearing, you may want to check with the other person first. If you are the type who is more strict about your boundaries, you may want to lead by example, wear your mask and offer your elbow when greeting.
Be curious and non-judgmental. It is going to be challenging for all of us to adjust, but please don’t judge others because they are in a different place from you. The pandemic has had different effects on each of us. Some people have lost family members and friends while others have enjoyed a season of rest. We really don’t know why people hold the opinions they do. Hence, though it could be tempting to complain about why people are behaving in ways that annoy you, be curious instead. Ask them questions to understand where they are coming from and you may be surprised at what you learn.