Effects of Covid-19 continue to haunt us day in and day out. The other day, I bumped into a status update on Facebook which talked about the awkwardness and social anxiety felt in places that used to be healthy mediums for socialization and recreation.
“Is it normal to feel social anxiety after a long haul of work from home culture? Every time I go out, the crowds get my heart beating. Does one get out of it? It was almost a relief to find an empty cafe. Covid might not land you in hospital but there are definite after effects,” the Facebook user, Aamir Sultan wrote on his timeline using a sad emoticon.
Now, as people are returning to the office, mask mandates are lifting and we begin to reemerge into society, connecting physically with others is becoming more and more part of our daily lives again.
While some people may find this in-person socializing exuberant after being cooped up for so long, others may face anxiety and distress in these now new again social situations.
“The anxiety of bouncing back to the normal routine after a long time is normal for everyone,” Mohammad Shaheen, Pediatric Occupational Therapist at Child guidance and Wellness Centre at IMHANS explained, “Those that chose to socially distance themselves or were encouraged to complete school or work from home became comfortable with those shifts in their behaviors.”
He said as they get back to work and school or start to attend social gatherings, it is normal to experience some sort of worry or discomfort for various reasons,” he said.
The most vivid symptoms of social anxiety include experiencing severe discomfort in social situations and the choice to avoid social outings. You may also notice physical symptoms, such as a racing heart, sweating, nausea, dizziness, and feeling flushed in social situations.
Why are many experiencing social anxiety for the first time?
Experts around the world say people who have never experienced social anxiety in the past may be surprised to find they are feeling it now.
“I think a lot of people are experiencing unexpected feelings. Even people who aren’t particularly socially anxious may feel a bit awkward jumping back into activities that were previously comfortable for them,” Franklin Schneier, MD, co-director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at The New York State Psychiatric Institute, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center told a prominent health journal.
There may also be anxiety related to pandemic protocols in social settings.
“There’s a bit of uncertainty right now with how much to interact if you hug people or can shake hands,” Schneier said. “Some of the rules of social interaction are still in flux.”
Further complicating this, many people have different comfort levels when it comes to how they socialize.
“You have to think about what might make someone else feel uncomfortable,” Schneier said. “What’s your comfort level? Is everyone OK with meeting in a large group? What if someone still wants to wear a mask?”
The question now arises on how to cope with social anxiety as it merges back into routine life. The experts suggest that accepting anxiety and facing the fear head-on can be a common strategy to start with.
That may work for very mild concerns, but it could also be counterproductive because you’re not dealing with what the fear is. Think through your fears and figure out what exactly it is that’s causing concern. Once you can name that, you can then think through ways to deal with it.
Secondly, have a game plan. When you’re aware of what’s causing your anxiety, have a game plan to address it. One strategy would be to bring up the difficulty of socializing, coming back after Covid, and asking others how they feel.
In addition to this, one can think of social outings as experiments. As with many things in life, practice makes perfect. People experiencing re-entry anxieties will likely become more comfortable in these situations as they engage in them more often. After the social interaction, you can also revisit those initial worries and check the facts: Did that feared outcome happen, and if it did, was it as bad as expected?
