Counseling Services

May 28, 2021

If the Pandemic is Ending, Why Do I Feel Worried?

Written by Fr. Michael Maples, PhD

People who lost their jobs during the pandemic and have yet to secure a new job are at an elevated risk for depression, as well as anxiety. Recent college graduates are having a challenging entrance into the job market because of the pandemic. Unemployment, underemployment, relocation, and other significant life transitions can cause a person to feel as if their life has been uprooted. Jobs, school, and families provide structure to life. Losing such a structure can create a sense of being “out of sync” with the world and those whose lives and calendars are organized within such structuring systems.

People who lost their jobs during the pandemic and have yet to secure a new job are at an elevated risk for depression, as well as anxiety. Recent college graduates are having a challenging entrance into the job market because of the pandemic. Unemployment, underemployment, relocation, and other significant life transitions can cause a person to feel as if their life has been uprooted. Jobs, school, and families provide structure to life. Losing such a structure can create a sense of being “out of sync” with the world and those whose lives and calendars are organized within such structuring systems.

It’s also important to remember that there are people around us who still worry about COVID-19. Though we are emerging from the pandemic, the disease remains a very real concern for many. Whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, they may not feel safe being in a setting where others are not wearing facemasks or practicing social distancing.

We’re all asking: when is it ok to hug someone, to shake someone’s hand, or to sit in a seat next to someone? What are the rules now? Having to consider such questions can itself be a source of anxiety and stress. In a recent APA article, psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen writes that we’re “making [re-emergence from the pandemic] up as we go along, so of course we’re anxious.” Before 2020, most of us believed that pandemics were a thing of the past. There are not shelves of books telling us how to make the perfect re-entry into normal, with just the right speed and at precisely the right angle. Where then do we begin? Here are five tips that mental health practitioners are sharing:

1. Go at your own pace. If you’re not ready to be among a crowd, tell yourself that’s ok, because it is ok. Start where you feel comfortable. If you’re not ready to have lunch with a friend in a crowded restaurant, consider a picnic or lunch on the patio. Likewise, respect that someone else’s pace may be different than yours. You may ready to sit in a crowded indoor venue to watch a concert, but your spouse or friend may not. Practice patience with yourself and others.

2. Acknowledge that much has changed. Examine your expectations and be prepared to adjust them. It may be unwise or mentally unhealthy to expect everything to be exactly as it was before the pandemic. Your favorite restaurant may no longer be open. The rules for using playgrounds or dog parks might have changed. Your doctor’s waiting room may not have magazines. Understandably, we won’t like some of the changes we’re encountering upon re-entry. Fortunately, we humans can adapt. Adjusting your expectations for the world around you could make your transition out of the pandemic less stressful.

3. Try something new. Developing a new hobby or interest is not just something to do while we’re bored during a pandemic. Have you been wanting to try a yoga class? Or start an in-person book club? Or volunteer somewhere? Now may be a great time. Engaging in a new interest can help with stress management. Starting a new activity might help you feel like you have some control over the changes in your life instead of all the changes happening to you.

4. Participate in familiar activities. It helps to know that some things did not change because of the pandemic. Being open to change is beneficial but having some consistency can also benefit our mental and social well-being. Revisit a favorite book or television series. Keep in contact with a supportive friend. Maintain meaningful routines, such as walking with a neighbor each evening, going to church on Sundays, and having a meal with your family once a week.

5. Talk with someone. Sharing your concerns with a person you trust can lighten the weight of those concerns. Talk with a mental health provider, especially if your anxiety, depression, or another emotion is starting to negatively impact your functioning or self-care. The counseling services at Catholic Charities are one source for mental health counseling. We offer counseling in our Knoxville office and via tele-health to individuals throughout Tennessee, regardless of faith affiliation.

It’s understandable that we’ll have some anxiety and other challenging emotions during this time. We’re all trying to figure out how to emerge into a post-pandemic world. Re-entry matters, but so does the journey. Whether it’s a journey from a space station orbiting Earth or the journey out of a pandemic, there are lessons to be learned. A journey changes our perception of what was once familiar and imparts lessons worth taking with us as we emerge into a “new normal.” The experience of the pandemic has changed how we interact with our world and those around us. As we acclimate to a “new normal,” remember some lessons from our journey through the pandemic: wash your hands thoroughly; be considerate of others; take nothing and no one for granted; we are resilient.

_________________________________________________________________
Fr. Michael Maples, PhD is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville and a licensed psychologist. In addition to providing psychotherapy at Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, he is a parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Farragut.

It’s also important to remember that there are people around us who still worry about COVID-19. Though we are emerging from the pandemic, the disease remains a very real concern for many. Whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, they may not feel safe being in a setting where others are not wearing facemasks or practicing social distancing.

We’re all asking: when is it ok to hug someone, to shake someone’s hand, or to sit in a seat next to someone? What are the rules now? Having to consider such questions can itself be a source of anxiety and stress. In a recent APA article, psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen writes that we’re “making [re-emergence from the pandemic] up as we go along, so of course we’re anxious.” Before 2020, most of us believed that pandemics were a thing of the past. There are not shelves of books telling us how to make the perfect re-entry into normal, with just the right speed and at precisely the right angle. Where then do we begin? Here are five tips that mental health practitioners are sharing:

1. Go at your own pace. If you’re not ready to be among a crowd, tell yourself that’s ok, because it is ok. Start where you feel comfortable. If you’re not ready to have lunch with a friend in a crowded restaurant, consider a picnic or lunch on the patio. Likewise, respect that someone else’s pace may be different than yours. You may ready to sit in a crowded indoor venue to watch a concert, but your spouse or friend may not. Practice patience with yourself and others.

2. Acknowledge that much has changed. Examine your expectations and be prepared to adjust them. It may be unwise or mentally unhealthy to expect everything to be exactly as it was before the pandemic. Your favorite restaurant may no longer be open. The rules for using playgrounds or dog parks might have changed. Your doctor’s waiting room may not have magazines. Understandably, we won’t like some of the changes we’re encountering upon re-entry. Fortunately, we humans can adapt. Adjusting your expectations for the world around you could make your transition out of the pandemic less stressful.

3. Try something new. Developing a new hobby or interest is not just something to do while we’re bored during a pandemic. Have you been wanting to try a yoga class? Or start an in-person book club? Or volunteer somewhere? Now may be a great time. Engaging in a new interest can help with stress management. Starting a new activity might help you feel like you have some control over the changes in your life instead of all the changes happening to you.

4. Participate in familiar activities. It helps to know that some things did not change because of the pandemic. Being open to change is beneficial but having some consistency can also benefit our mental and social well-being. Revisit a favorite book or television series. Keep in contact with a supportive friend. Maintain meaningful routines, such as walking with a neighbor each evening, going to church on Sundays, and having a meal with your family once a week.

5. Talk with someone. Sharing your concerns with a person you trust can lighten the weight of those concerns. Talk with a mental health provider, especially if your anxiety, depression, or another emotion is starting to negatively impact your functioning or self-care. The counseling services at Catholic Charities are one source for mental health counseling. We offer counseling in our Knoxville office and via tele-health to individuals throughout Tennessee, regardless of faith affiliation.

It’s understandable that we’ll have some anxiety and other challenging emotions during this time. We’re all trying to figure out how to emerge into a post-pandemic world. Re-entry matters, but so does the journey. Whether it’s a journey from a space station orbiting Earth or the journey out of a pandemic, there are lessons to be learned. A journey changes our perception of what was once familiar and imparts lessons worth taking with us as we emerge into a “new normal.” The experience of the pandemic has changed how we interact with our world and those around us. As we acclimate to a “new normal,” remember some lessons from our journey through the pandemic: wash your hands thoroughly; be considerate of others; take nothing and no one for granted; we are resilient.

_________________________________________________________________
Fr. Michael Maples, PhD is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville and a licensed psychologist. In addition to providing psychotherapy at Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, he is a parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Farragut.

For astronauts returning from space, their re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere is a maneuver requiring meticulous planning and action. A successful re-entry requires that the astronauts enter the atmosphere at a specific speed and a precise angle. If the re-entry is not executed with precision, the capsule bringing the astronauts back to Earth could burn or bounce off the Earth’s atmosphere, back into space. Either outcome would be a catastrophe. That’s why re-entry matters. Astronauts understand that their excitement at returning to Earth must be restrained with planning and care.

In the United States, we’re moving out of the COVID-19 pandemic, a hardship few of us were mentally prepared for. Over a quarter of the nation’s adults have so far been vaccinated. Stores and restaurants have resumed normal operations. Movies are again being shown in cinemas. Families are planning vacations. It seems that we’re finally getting back to normal. However, let’s not overlook the importance of our re-entry. It matters how we return to normal, whether it’s the old, once familiar pre-pandemic normal or, more likely, a new normal. In this sense, we’re astronauts too.

The American Psychological Association (APA) recently reported that approximately half of American adults feel uneasy about emerging from the pandemic, particularly about in-person interactions. At Catholic Charities Counseling Services, there has been a recent increase in inquiries about our services. Other mental health providers are also experiencing this increase. Although I’ve yet to have a client enter psychotherapy specifically for post-pandemic re-entry anxiety, several of my clients mention re-entry as contributing to their symptoms.

Re-entry anxiety can be connected to uncertainty. For example, an employee who has been working from home

The American Psychological Association (APA) recently reported that approximately half of American adults feel uneasy about emerging from the pandemic, particularly about in-person interactions. At Catholic Charities Counseling Services, there has been a recent increase in inquiries about our services. Other mental health providers are also experiencing this increase. Although I’ve yet to have a client enter psychotherapy specifically for post-pandemic re-entry anxiety, several of my clients mention re-entry as contributing to their symptoms.

Re-entry anxiety can be connected to uncertainty. For example, an employee who has been working from home during the pandemic might be uncertain about how to successfully transition back to work at their office. Some people have become accustomed to the pandemic’s solitude, and the mere thought of resuming their pre-pandemic level of social interactions fills them with dread. Many have grown so accustomed to interacting with the world digitally that having meaningful in-person interactions feels like an unknown foreign language. Another common concern is how to navigate a world where some people still wear facemasks and some don’t, even in the same setting.

It’s not only anxiety that some of us are experiencing. People who lost a loved one to COVID-19 or another cause during the pandemic are now transitioning out of the pandemic without that loved one. The person may again be able to go to concerts, sports events, and Dollywood, but they do so without the companionship of the one who died. During the pandemic, funerals had to be held with only a small group present, if they were held at all. We likely all know someone who lost a loved one during the pandemic but didn’t have the opportunity to go through meaningful mourning rituals or grieve while comforted by the presence of their support system.

during the pandemic might be uncertain about how to successfully transition back to work at their office. Some people have become accustomed to the pandemic’s solitude, and the mere thought of resuming their pre-pandemic level of social interactions fills them with dread. Many have grown so accustomed to interacting with the world digitally that having meaningful in-person interactions feels like an unknown foreign language. Another common concern is how to navigate a world where some people still wear facemasks and some don’t, even in the same setting.

It’s not only anxiety that some of us are experiencing. People who lost a loved one to COVID-19 or another cause during the pandemic are now transitioning out of the pandemic without that loved one. The person may again be able to go to concerts, sports events, and Dollywood, but they do so without the companionship of the one who died. During the pandemic, funerals had to be held with only a small group present, if they were held at all. We likely all know someone who lost a loved one during the pandemic but didn’t have the opportunity to go through meaningful mourning rituals or grieve while comforted by the presence of their support system.