We are still living in a fear of being infected. Many have experienced near-death situations and many have passed on. Staying at home for almost a year and a half, not able to meet our friends, relatives, and family members, can’t go out for a walk just to get some fresh air nor can stay home in peace.
A sigh of relief that the wait is over. We have almost forgotten how normal life would be and woke up each day hoping for things to get better. However, little did we know that this break would impact most of us. No, this is not over! I am not referring to the COVID – 19 viruses but the situation it has put us into.
Getting vaccinated people felt a bit safe. While they are trying to normalize life slowly, they reluctant to give up the comfort of being home - and they have forgotten how socializing works. The lifestyle changes that have been put to practice over the last 12 or more months have now become a routine and people are afraid to change it. They feel they cannot get back out there and do the things they used to do; they give every excuse they can.
One of the main reasons is having social anxiety. This simply means not knowing how to face the situation of meeting friends, colleagues, family members, or strangers. People tend to become self-conscious and the simplest things that they used to do in everyday life have now become a challenge.
All you have to know is that we are all in the same shoe and some social anxiety is normal. Let us take things slow. Yes, socializing has changed – you need to think twice before you shake your hand or hug someone, you know you have to maintain some distance and also wear a mask when you talk to them. This is all temporary and won’t last forever!
Feel like you have lost a skill? That’s impossible! You acquire these skills and there is no way you could lose that. It's like they are sleeping inside you and all you need to do is wake it up slowly. You might feel different like it is the first time you are doing it, but it's common.
Do overthink about this, you are not the only one who is going through all this. Do not avoid social situations as you will continue to feel the same way. If you put yourself into a social situation, you will tend to cope up automatically and will normalize soon. Give a push to yourself.
Things are not normal yet! They will gradually get better. Let us take one baby step at a time, we will get over this together!