Coronaphobia

Does anyone else suffer from coronaphobia? It is a fairly new term that has been coined by the media to refer to the fear of returning to normality once lockdown is relieved. This time in our lives has brought about so much change and there is no doubt that change is difficult. For myself, I found it difficult to even get into a routine in lockdown as I got used to living back in Scotland, therefore, it is obvious that it will be difficult to get out of that routine. Also there is uncertainty over what the new 'normality' will begin to look like.

In Scotland, beer gardens are allowed to be open tomorrow and some non-essential shops have begun to open this week. For some people, this change can be overwhelming. For so many months of our lives, lockdown has been relatively quiet and isolated. We have been bombarded with media reports of death rate and we have forgotten what it is like to do normal things. It will be strange to go into a pub where there is a one-way system and to remember to socially distance. Our working lives have changed enormously since the start of lockdown and they will change again.  Fear and anxiety are thus a natural emotional response to these changing times. 

I wanted to dedicate this blog post to providing some tips on how to ease anxiety as lockdown restrictions are easing. At least some tricks that I'm trying to do in order to feel a bit more calm. The most important advice is to focus on the present. This can be hard when regulations are changing frequently and there is conflicting media discussion but keeping a focus on the moment can help maintain structure. We have to be hopeful in these times, even though how hard it may seem, whether it be a walk with a friend or a chat in their back garden. It is important to tell people you trust about how you are feeling and pace yourself. Do what feels comfortable for you. 

Another tip would be to build up tolerance. For example, try and do something that challenges you every day so that when normality arrives, it does not seem that frightening. It will be even more difficult if you go from sitting in every day of lockdown to going straight back to work. You will feel overwhelmed. Therefore, vary your routine and try and see different people so that you can get used to encountering different situations. Don't force yourself to go at a faster pace and in one go. Make sure to spread things out so that you can ease yourself into normal life. The most important piece of advice is to take little steps to normality. It is common that you may not feel as confident to do previously normal things such as face to face work meetings or use cramped public transport. 

This process of breaking away from lockdown will be a physiological process. You have to be kind to yourself. Try and do some daily positive affirmations to switch your mindset. Having a positive mindset will change your outlook completely and by giving yourself affirmations, even for 10 minutes, in the mirror can make a huge difference. Remember that anxiety is a temporary situation and take one day at a time. Control what can be controlled.  I try and accept that these things are out of my control and I am not able to control the lockdown lifting. However, I can control how much news I consume and how much time I dedicate to thinking about post-lockdown life. If you are unsure whether you have post-lockdown anxiety, then ask yourself, are you doing the following things? 

• Having recurring thoughts or worries about the future 
• Feeling unsettled or tense 
• Having issues with sleeping 
• Constantly checking the news or social media about Covid-19 or lockdown rules 
• Perhaps having panic attacks

Of course anxiety can be a positive thing in certain situations. A healthy amount can remind us to social distance and encourage us to make positive changes in our lives for our mental health. I have found healthy coping strategies to deal with my anxiety in this time such as going out for a run, monitoring my inner dialogue and doing some mindfulness. Make sure not to develop unhealthy coping strategies such as avoidance, drinking, drugs or over-eating. The last one being especially hard when you are closer to the fridge and doing less exercise. I feel that even by getting out once a day in the fresh air can improve your mood immensely. 

Whilst I am anxious about the new normality after lockdown, a part of me is also anxious about what will happen if normality returns as it was before lockdown. For a while, I have craved a slower pace of life. I lived in Spain for nearly a year and I was craving to spend time with my family. This lockdown therefore came as a blessing in disguise. I was able to spend more time with them and walk in the woodlands rather than stand on the crowded bus in Spain. The everyday frenzy of our life has reduced. We have learned to value the small things in this lockdown. We have supported local businesses. I have found that there has been a common consensus that the life before lockdown was some utopian environment. But it wasn't. Lockdown has allowed us to reconstruct our idea of wellness and this idea of the bubble bursting can be scary.

Lockdown has taught us the benefits of a simpler lifestyle - on our own mental health and on the planet. It has shown us the need for behavioural change and rest for our body. I hope that we do not come out of this pandemic having learned nothing. I hope that it has changed your values and what is important. I have had more time in this lockdown to sleep, read and reflect and I feel at times, my mood has improved. We have to go back into normality with a new perspective on life. On appreciating the simple things of hugging loved ones, going to the cinema with friends and eating mcdonalds drunk at 3am in the morning. Not of burning ourselves out with work, overthinking and worrying, going on restrictive diets and trying to be this perfect version of ourselves. I have realised that, at the end of the day, what are we going to remember? Constantly aiming to be this perfect version of ourselves or accepting our insecurities and enjoying life. The latter being the lesson that I am coming out of this pandemic with.