The new normal comes with insecurities and fears. Although a large part of the population eagerly awaited returning to the streets and “life,” many of us are still reluctant, experiencing all kinds of thoughts and reactions, such as the fear of contagion, a sense of uncertainty or anxiety, fear of infecting vulnerable people or our loved ones, the fear of something serious happening to us, fear derived from reading unverified information or news, being people with risk factors, fear of returning to work, or simply, the fear of returning to our usual routines… Fears that, therefore, most of us have experienced or are experiencing.
However, not only do we feel fear or anxiety, but we also experience mood swings, feeling ambivalent, sad, euphoric, irritable, or even angry with the current situation—a cocktail of emotions that we often don’t know how to manage. Everyday things like taking public transport, going to a shop, or going to work have now become a challenge for a large part of the population.
There will be people who might react with demotivation to returning to work, and others who feel overwhelmed just imagining they have to go back, generating fear and/or anxiety. How many of us currently feel like strangers or disoriented when meeting up for coffee with friends or family again? Some even feel a kind of guilt or helplessness about the situation. In these cases, it is very important to realize that what we have experienced is beyond our control, and the only thing we can do is try to adapt little by little in the best possible way. Everyone at their own pace.
In general terms, anxiety can be described as a feeling of fear that occurs without a clear external threat, produced by the anticipation of a stimulus considered threatening. When we feel anxiety, we get scared, but the truth is that anxiety is an adaptive response, a defense mechanism against dangerous situations, whether real or imagined.
On the other hand, distress would refer to the physiological component, such as: tachycardia, breathing difficulties, muscle tension… In the situation we are experiencing, we should normalize having fear and/or anxiety, as these are adaptive human reactions, also making us more cautious and taking hygiene and social distancing measures more seriously, so we should not pathologize these reactions. For example, an adaptive reaction for a person who is afraid of contracting the virus would be to take appropriate hygiene measures and proceed with caution, while a maladaptive reaction would be not wanting to leave home again. As with everything, there must be a balance. What happens when these levels of anxiety or fear exceed limits? We react with an exaggerated emotional response; the organism becomes overactive to a stimulus that poses no real danger, leading to avoidance behaviors, isolation, or pathological reactions (excessive anxiety). Likewise, certain pre-existing pathologies, due to the current situation, may suffer an exacerbation or worsening, such as agoraphobia, depressive disorder, separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder…
Humans have a great capacity to adapt to change. We have lived through an exceptional situation of being confined to our homes, and we have adapted. Now again, both our body and our mind, need a new readjustment, and for this, it is essential to maintain healthy routines and habits, seek intrinsic motivations, feel fulfilled, rediscover hobbies, try to keep the mind occupied so as not to fall into a vicious circle of negative thoughts, seek positive emotions or social support. These factors, among others, would be fundamental pillars for managing the current situation.
Let’s be patient with ourselves, accept that it’s okay to be sad, to feel fear, to struggle to adapt, to be ambivalent, changeable, apathetic, euphoric… And of course, sometimes we need a little help from a psychologist who can provide us with tools to better manage the situation. We can all feel overwhelmed at some point in our lives; let’s accept that we are vulnerable and that’s okay.