Following a few conversations recently, I wanted to talk a little about the effects of the release of covid restrictions…There has been a lot of talk and support over the last 2 years about people who struggled with lockdown and isolation, people who struggle with the concept of wearing masks, and that great, because these people were struggling with these issues, the effects of isolation on many peoples mental health has been huge and will last a long time. We are now loosing the mask rules, and while there are many people out there who are very happy about this, about the return to “normal” and some who are being judgemental about those who are still wearing masks, there are many who are not ready yet. If you are happy to loose the mask, that’s great, but remember that the mask someone else is wearing does nothing to you, take off your mask, enjoy the fresh air on your face and carry on with your life, we cannot allow vaccine status and mask wearing to become another form of prejudice or a reason to bully anyone else in to our way of thinking.
We have each been affected differently, by Covid itself, the physical effects and losses around us, and the mental health effects of the strange life we have all had to live. These effects will stay with us for a long time and we need to re-learn to live in the world and with others. We have to remember that its ok to take your time, its ok to still feel anxious, just as much its ok to feel great and be ready to get back to normal. Many of us won’t see how much it has affected us until we look back down the line.
What isn’t being talked about so much is the people who loved lockdown and found comfort in the masks and social distancing, the isolation was a comforting break from reality, some folks out there slipped in to a nice comfortable protective bubble which helped them feel better than they have in a long time. I was one of those people, and I had difficulties coming out of lock down but my desire to get back to work (I love my job) pushed me and helped me to regain my sense of social normality. Recently I have spoken to a couple of other people who struggled more, for longer, they didn’t have the same push from work so there has been nothing to drive them back to social engagement when the world of isolation was like a comfort blanket. For these folks, it took a long time to realise that the people around them weren’t being pushy and intrusive, they were just happy to see them, to spend time with them and to resume activities that had been enjoyed pre lock down, it felt overwhelming because the circumstances had affected them differently. In many cases there has been a clash of the over enthusiasm to return to social engagements and the resistance to those engagements from those who feel anxious and overwhelmed, the people I spoke to recently shared this experience and the feelings of resentment which arose from this clash, these situations have now been resolved with understanding and perspactive on both sides, but many others are experiencing similar situations to the people who shared this with me have given permission to mention their story here confidentially, in the hopes that it may help others work through the same issues.
Its amazing how quickly we become used to our circumstances, when lockdown was released, many people had become so used to keeping to themselves all day and their personal space bubble had grown so much, that most type of social interactions felt like an invasion of their space and time. This feeling can be overwhelming and even loved ones just wanting to spend some time with you felt intrusive. Being out in crowded areas was enough to trigger panic attacks in many people, myself included. This return to normality has had just as much effect on mental health as the lockdown did for others.
So, my message is this, if you feel a loved one is changed, they are making excuses about going out to places they loved before lock down, or feel like they are pushing you away, they might not yet be ready for the same level of social interaction as you. If you feel like the whole world is intruding on your space and your bubble, or pushing you to go to places or circumstances which no longer feel comfortable, take a breath and make sure you are still getting time to yourself, the world isn’t trying to push back in, you just need time to get used to it being there again. It may feel frustrating if you are keen to get back to things, but have patience, and find ways to channel that frustration so that it doesn’t manifest in tension or anxiety.
Making sure you have time to yourself to allow for these adjustments is an important part of self care. Lockdown has made many of us realise that we do need that time and space to ourselves, lockdown has also been a chance for all of us to re-evaluate our priorities, to break our routines and make changes to our lives. If the quiet and isolation was beneficial to you, make sure you are still getting an element of it in your daily or weekly routine, prioritising this will help, if you are struggling with something social remember that you have that time scheduled regularly, it should make to social situation easier to deal with.
If you see someone still wearing a mask, remember that there could be many reasons for this, for some it still helps them feel they are a little separated from the world around them, for some they are still worried about the virus and the mask helps them to feel protected, some may have a cold they want to try to prevent spreading, and some may have simply forgotten that they don’t need the habit any more. If you are still wearing a mask for any reason, hold your head high and have confidence in your reason, its what is right for you, wearing a mask doesn’t hurt anyone. If anyone has an issue with you wearing a mask, that’s their problem, not yours, keep your mask, breathe and walk away.
Please have compassion and understanding, we will all need to come back and find what feels right in our own time. It’s hard, but don’t let anyone push you to be ready when you’re not, if you take your time and talk to someone about how you feel, you will get there, one step at a time.
How does this connect to my site and treatment room? Often these mental health issues will manifest in to physical issues, regular holistic therapies can be helpful in clearing these physical manifestations, and to help release emotions which have been held in and pushed down / hidden from those around you. In my treatment space you are in control, if you feel like the treatment effects are overwhelming, that’s ok, we can take a break, shift gears or even come back to the treatment another day. If you need to quietly process things during your treatment that’s cool, if you need to talk to someone who is not a part of your life about how things have affected you, what is shared in my room is always confidential and there is no judgement. If emotions are released, I’ve got a box of tissues ready. If you want me to wear a mask, I’m happy to do so, if you prefer to wear a mask that’s fine too. If anything makes you uncomfortable or you need anything changing to make the treatment work for you, I’m happy to adapt things to make it right for you. If you aren’t ready for a lot of contact then acupuncture may be a good option for you. Its your treatment, it needs to be done your way for you to gain benefits.
Stay safe and well everyone
The Barefoot therapist 