Hello lovely Utilita Community! 🤗 How is everyone?
So - life is for the most part back in full swing now, and for some for us, adjusting back to normality (if you can even remember that) can feel a bit strange, unfamiliar and even daunting!
This is not helped by the fact that some of us are still working from home, which means life has not gone totally back to normal, more of a ‘hybrid’, which can make it hard for our brains to adjust. Almost like we are in limbo.
With this in mind, I wanted to see how you are all doing? How are you finding things at the moment? Are your old routines in full swing? Or are you really struggling to adapt after spending the best part 18 months in the comfort of our own homes, away from common anxiety triggers, and at a much slower pace than before.
Whether you feel anxious or not now that life is back to ‘go go go mode’ - the change in lifestyle may feel particularly challenging for some.
Mind Charity share: "It's important to remember that there is no 'normal' response to changes to lockdown and your feelings may be affected by lots of things that are outside of your control. Your feelings may also change day to day. It's OK to take your time.”
With this in mind, we have sourced some helpful tips on how to navigate your way back to your version of normality!
1. Try to get back into your old routine
So, we’ve all been attached to the hip with our household members, or for those that live alone, not been able to socialise as much/at all. Easing back into old routines will help transition you back to normality at your own pace, whatever that looks like.
It could be something as simple as setting your bedtime back to what is used to be, if you have adopted a later one. Or easing back into going to the gym until you get to the amount of times you visited before. Easing back into it slowly will help with the long-term transition!
2. Talk to friends and family!
Doing no socialising for the best part of 18 months, it can feel daunting to go back into the world. What do we talk about? Do I have the capacity for socialising? What once could have looked like a jam-packed social calendar, can now look terrifying. Some of us may not even want to socialise to the extent we used to, and that is OK! Whether you are anxious at the prospect of seeing friends and family as frequently as we used to, talking to them and being honest will lift the pressure, and confiding in them will most likely make you feel better and understood. You never know, they could be feeling the same!
3. Start to do the things you love again!
A great way to relieve the feeling of being overwhelmed or anxious, is to be prepared and plan ahead! What makes you happy and what are your priorities for self-care? This could be days out, places you’d like to visit, friends you want to see, restaurants you want to try! Booking and preparing ahead where needed can relieve unnecessary stress, something as simple as researching parking, transport and journey times etc. This can really help make you feel calm!
4. Review what your priorities are
Most of us would have realised what we want to focus and prioritise the past 18 months. Staying true to yourself and doing what makes you happy is vital to our well-being.
“It's well worth reflecting on whether we want things to return to how they were before, review our priorities and really think about what makes us happy," Advice from Mind Charity
This is again something incredibly simple but can make a profound difference to us all!
5. Be Patient!
We will all go at our own pace and that is OK! There is no ‘one approach fits all’.
Mind Charity advise: "In terms of adjusting to change, phased approaches, rather than large and sudden ones, are generally easier to deal with. It's also important to recognise that some people won’t be ready to return to "normality". There will be many who don't feel their concerns have been adequately addressed for whom a much slower, more gradual reintegration would be more appropriate."
Mind Charity offer some fantastic advice for easing back to normality if this is something you would find useful. Click here
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has more information on how to cope if you're feeling anxious about coronavirus. Click here
Last edited by Rebecca; 09-09-21 at 15:05.
