“Will I be infected? After all, should I wear a mask or not? How am I going to be able to ride the subway like this? Just thinking about having to travel all that way by car again makes me feel so bad! I can't imagine working within those four walls with so many people around me! I want to go back but I'm nervous. At the same time, it seems like I don’t have the courage to leave the house…” .
You probably identify with some of the thoughts mentioned above. It's natural for there to be a mix of emotions inside your heart! A kind of ball of joy and eagerness, of motivation and fear. A mixture that perhaps prevents you from knowing, specifically, whether what scares you most is the possibility of contagion or the fact that you have to reprogram in your brain what it means — with all that that entails — to return to in-person work.
If before we had to deal with the novelty of confinement and the reason that caused it, now we are forced to deal with the fact that leaving home to return to normality, normality, will not be enough. Therefore, any and all fears you feel at this moment are absolutely pertinent.
With everything that happened, not only did some fear of socializing develop, because of contagion, but the comfort zone also changed. Or better yet, after a month and a few days of quarantine, we unconsciously created another type of “safe” pathways in our brain which, obviously, are all (or almost all) found in the place where we have spent the most time: our home. .
Therefore, here are some emotional management tips, so that your return to work and social life is not so uncomfortable.
Accept your fear.
Even if you don't know how to identify your biggest fear, nor explain why you feel it, accept that you are “like this”, without blaming yourself. Remember that everyone, without exception, is feeling some anxiety about this “return”. She is not alone at all, nor is she feeling anything that deserves judgment or criticism. Channel your energy towards possible solutions and not to feed defeatist thoughts.
In the morning, even on public transport with headphones, listen to our podcast Bom Dia, Novo Dia! – Moment of Relaxation and Morning Motivation” and inspire good vibes.
Be patient with yourself.
Changing the pace of life again, from one day to the next, is not easy for anyone. Therefore, stop for a moment and try to understand how much time (more or less) you will need, at this stage, to do the activities — outside the home — that you did before the quarantine. Give yourself time to readapt.
Stay alone for a few minutes and take 3 conscious and deep breaths in and out. This act will help you center yourself again and synchronize with your Self.
Remember that you really have to focus on one day at a time, one activity at a time.
The night before “tomorrow”, prepare what you need, so that you can wake up feeling more rested. Try not to think too much about what “it will be like in a month or a year”. This thought will create a lot of anxiety and will not give you the answer you want. Save yourself! Try to solve one “problem” a day. The articleMultitasking? No, thank you! , which can be found on this website , will help you understand even better why this advice is given.
Let go of the idea that everything has to be the way it was and accept what is different. Remember that “different” came to protect, even though it could also have caused other types of problems. So, for every negative thing you think, immediately try to remember a positive one. Example: “I’m not going to be able to handle this. Well, maybe that's not true. I remember that time I had that problem, I also ended up solving it in another way.” Note: there is a solution for almost everything. There may not be the one we wanted most. (Are we being too capricious?) If you feel like it, read this article, here, at Frederica: How to Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive ones .
Be grateful!
As difficult as it is sometimes to be able to express gratitude when everything around us seems to be collapsing, try. It has been proven that the practice of gratitude helps to calm the mind and body, by causing our body to release more oxytocin (a hormone linked to peaceful pleasure). Try to put aside everything you think you don't have right now and evaluate the basics:
Did you wake up in a warm bed today? What is the probability of this happening again? (There are those who have woken up on the street or in the homes of people they have welcomed); Have you eaten today? (There are many people who haven't eaten today); Do you have warm clothes to wear? (Not everyone has); Will you have water to drink and bathe if you feel like it?
Please value the «little» you think you have, because if the answer to the above questions is "yes", then that means that now you just need to have health and strength to continue and start over, even if it's from « zero".
Be creative!
Turn the problem into an obstacle to be overcome! Sit down, as calmly as possible, and write down on paper what you would like to resolve and what you think would be the ideal way to do it. Then, accept that “it can’t be resolved like this” and try to think of another way to resolve it. Remember: silly ideas are those that are never put to the test. “No”, you will hear many times in your life. If you don't take risks you will never know the answer, you will always live in the unknown of what could have happened.
Do physical exercise and relaxation practices!
If you already do some physical activity, continue, even if you have to do it in another place and in another way. This period of time is essential for you to feel better, on all levels. The walk is part of it! Relaxation practices such as meditation, Yoga , ChiKung , etc., are also an asset to our body. In the article Learn to Manage Everyday Stress and Anxiety, here, at Frederica, you will find all the other tips that, even if they are not directly channeled towards returning to “life outside”, are extremely important so that you do not Let yourself be discouraged by your own discouragement and continue to fight for yourself, for your life.
Be FENIX and Reborn!
If it is the case that you have to start a “new life”, try to calm down and channel all your energy into the infinite possibilities that lie there. Of course it will be difficult, but decorate this challenge with the fact that, since you are going to start again, you can start by being yourself, putting into practice everything that until today, out of fear, you have not done.
You're not alone. We are together in many aspects. Take care of yourself in all these ways, never forgetting your qualities. Don’t let fear stop you from “going”, from living again, even with new rules. And, you'll see that, even if it doesn't go as you dreamed, everything will be fine!
Vanda do Nascimento is a therapist, trainer and Mindfulness instructor at the Escola de Mindfulness Essencial , which she founded in 2016. She began her career as a teacher in 1997, obtaining a degree in Education. On that same date, he also began his studies in Reiki, Meditation and Mindfulness. Later, he embarked on the path of Psychology and delved even deeper into the topic of Mindfulness, in order to continue his fight to control stress and anxiety.
