COVID-19 Blog Series: Going Back Outside
Many of us have been at home since March. That’s almost 3 months of staying at home and becoming acclimated to the new life of being physically separated from others. If you are anything like me, I’ve gotten used to being at home. I sleep in rather late now, and I dread the thought of taking a shower and putting on work clothes.
For others, this can be a very stressful time, because the typical errands that are carried out are changing. For example, going to the grocery store. There are more people at the grocery store, there are more cars on the road, and social distancing becomes harder and harder to do. When I went to the grocery store today, I found that I had to focus more to drive, simply because it has been so long since I’ve driven. I had to get used to the feel of my vehicle on the road, and I even had to search for my driving playlist on my phone.
How do you re-enter outside life again? Imagine you’re visiting a foreign country for the first time. A lot of the steps you would take in entering a new place are the same steps you should take re-entering your outside life.
Take It Slow. Don’t attempt to rush back into your normal life as if nothing happened. Think about visiting a new country. You don’t want to rush through all the things that are different. Things at your work can now be different from before. There may be new protocols. Though the setting of your work may seem familiar, it’s not the same, so don’t rush.
Observe. When visiting a new country, you automatically slow down. Why? So that you can take in and look at the world around you. Do the same. Observe your route to work. Observe your work environment. It looks the same, but what’s different? Do you have to interact differently? Do you need to sanitize more often? Are there new guidelines you have to follow at work?
Be Respectful of Others. While visiting a new country, you see and meet people who are different from you. Generally, you watch to see how they interact and try to be respectful of their customs and such. In the same way, people are going to have different takes on what is comfortable and safe for them. If someone wishes to maintain the social distance in the workplace, be cognizant of it and respect their distance. If someone asks for you to wear a mask, put on a face mask. Think of it as being in a new place. Additionally, be aware of how differently everyone has been affected by this. Some were okay, while others had to take care of loved ones, or had very stressful events like a death in the family or a lost job to deal with.
It seems silly to think, but it really is a brand new world now. We’re taking our first steps into what that is going to be. Everyone is worn and tired from staying at home, not to mention the anxiety that’s in the air regarding the virus coming back. However, we can control how we treat one another and be flexible in how we adapt.
This is the last blog post of our special COVID-19 series. We will continue to develop blog posts for the main website and work on developing our YouTube channel. Joon and I want to thank you for taking the time to read our blog posts and hope that it helped you in some way. Please check back for updates and subscribe on our website!
