How to deal with un-lockdown anxiety?
Home may have become associated with safety and control during the lockdown, so continuing life in public can seem daunting, writes Kristin Naragon-Gainey, from The University of Western Australia in this composition republished from The discussion.
As lockdown eases today in New South Wales and will do so in Victoria afterwards this month, multiple people will begin readjusting to “ normal” life.
Exiting lockdown after several months can lead to a range of feelings, from excitement and relief to stress and worry.
While it may seem counter-intuitive to feel anxious about returning to past freedoms and ways of life, it is natural for such a major change to be stressful.
So why might it be anxiety-inducing, and how can you cope?
Mixed emotions
Humans are creatures of habit, and the lockdowns have persisted long enough for people to become comfortable with and accustomed to their lockdown diurnal routines indeed those parts they do not like. Reinventing a new day-to-day routine takes effort, as it requires overriding our current habits and inertia.
Likewise, some people may experience certain aspects of lockdown as beneficial, alike as not commuting to work, spending more time with immediate family or roommates, and greater flexibility in work hours. People may miss these positive aspects after lockdown ends.
Home may also have become associated with safety and control during the lockdown, so resuming life in public can seem daunting.
What is more, while lockdown may come to an end, there is uncertainty regarding the epidemic’s unborn impact on our lives, creating a new backdrop of anxiety.
For all these reasons, multiple people may have mixed emotions including anxiety and fear about leaving lockdown.
Everyone has experienced lockdown differently
While everyone responds differently, returning from lockdown may be especially tough for some groups of people.
In particular, people with cerebral conditions associated with anxiety when outside the home or interacting with people may have experienced less social stress than usual during the lockdown, if they were not faced with multiple anxiety-provoking situations. These include some people with, for illustration, social anxiety, agoraphobia, post-traumatic stress illness (PTSD) or people on the autism spectrum.
At the same time, multiple of these people also felt greater loneliness and other anxieties during the lockdown, like to the general population.
Other people may be passing strong anxiety or depression for the first time or may feel overwhelming anxiousness about contracting Coronavirus-19 or the impact of the epidemic.
A wealth of exploration has shown that when people avoid situations that make them feel anxious, they may feel less stress right away, but over time avoidance makes them feel as anxious or indeed more anxious in those situations in the future.
In contrast, engaging in these situations repeatedly helps reduce anxiety over time, as demonstrated by treatments like exposure therapy.
This process seems to manifest in lockdown. One study found that although college students’ social anxiety tended to decrease over the academic year in recent years, anxiety remained high during this same period in lockdown, perhaps due to decreased social interactions.
While reduced interaction with the public during lockdown may have eased social stress for some people, it may also make it more challenging to re-engage in these interactions now.
4 ideas to help you cope
There are numerous strategies you can use to help you successfully cope with anxiety and anxiousness as you leave lockdown behind.
1. Expect a readjustment phase
It can be helpful simply to remind yourself a period of readjustment is normal, given the unusual and stressful situation the world is facing, and any distress is generally temporary.
Keeping this in mind can lead to more realistic expectations for yourself and others who might be struggling, as well as major compassion for yourself and others. Allowing some downtime and leeway for bad days will facilitate a quicker and smoother readjustment.
2. Talk to supportive buddies
Seeking support from others you feel comfortable with and talking about how you are feeling is also important for multiple people, particularly as others may be struggling with the same feelings and challenges.
3. Re-engage with fun
You can also make an effort to do activities you generally find enjoyable and meaningful, particularly those you haven’t been able to do during the lockdown and were looking forward to, indeed if you have mixed feelings now about doing them.
4. Stay in the moment
Deep breathing or mindfulness practice can help people get through tough feelings or situations following lockdown.
Although multiple things about the epidemic are out of our control, taking the concrete path to decrease your stress level — even in small ways — can help you feel better and more in control.
When should you see a professional?
Settle back into their pre-lockdown routines.
Still, some signs indicate you may benefit from seeking professional help. These include experiencing distress or anxiety that persists for weeks and is impacting your ability to function well at work or home.
Others may find they are still managing to get through their day, but have strong worries about Coronovirus-19 or leaving the house that does not go away and make it tough to concentrate or be present. Lots of people may have bad days or occasional feelings like this, but help may be needed if these experiences are severe or persistent. However, please seek help right now, If you are feeling hopeless and thinking of harming yourself.
While some people may bear longer to readjust post-lockdown than others, there is support available to help people return to their-lockdown lives and enjoy the freedoms that go ahead with it.