A New Era
Photo credit Long Nguyen
Hello hello!
Summer is full of changes for 2021! As we emerge from pandemic hibernation and anticipate the return into a new different type of normal, I’m feeling my anxiety rise. It’s strange how comforting staying at home, eating nachos, and watching baking shows can be. I used to think of myself as a rather social person who enjoyed going out, yet now the thought of cancelling plans feels so good. I find myself delaying the return to “normal” for another week, pushing off those nagging errands, and curling up on the couch for just one more episode.
One of the best attributes of our species is our ability to adapt, yet sometimes it seems that the remission of danger can be just as distressing. Our brains are good at kicking into flight mode when it perceives that a scary beast comes at us...calming back down and enjoying the scenery after surviving the encounter comes a little more slowly. We have become skilled at avoiding dangers yet recognizing safety is a bit more messy. Have you done that thing where you judge yourself for “making a big deal” “what’s wrong with me that I can’t just relax?” The answer might be thousands of years of adaptive biology. A year and a half into our very first pandemic and we are judging ourselves for not “having it together by now.” Okay, it feels harsh even just typing that out. What would a more compassionate frame look like? This is unprecedented for our whole society, modern technology is changing faster than our brains so we are left with weird lagging disconnects, and it’s been a confusing mess just trying to figure out what the risks are and what we can do about them…I get nauseous reading anything with numbers and data. It’s too much! Too many charts, graphs, reports, numbers so people are sick and dying and it feels helpless to do more than mask up and schedule a vaccination.
So here we are, in a weird transition point, restrictions lifting, yet the threat of a new and more potent variant is lurking overhead like a thundercloud on a summer day. Grab the sunscreen, maybe a rain jacket, and head for a beach. Let’s reassure those worried parts in ourselves that we are navigating a really challenging time and will continue to adapt as needed. It’s okay to be cautious and take each step as we feel ready, with compassion and space for others as they figure out their path, too.
My goal is that this blog can be a resource and comfort, so you will know you are not alone in your journey and it’s okay to ask for help along the way. As we reemerge into a changed world, I’m hopeful we can carry with us the lessons we’ve learned and insights we have gained about ourselves as we reconnect with others and enjoy being in shared spaces again. Next up...dating in the post-pandemic world...whoo boy, that’s gonna be a fun one!
