Anxiety – New-Normal vs Old-Normal

Anxiety is a feeling of anticipation that something wrong, harmful, or dangerous will happen to our loved ones or ourselves. COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri gave many of us bad feelings of tension that jobs will be lost; family members would pass away, uninsured property damage, high unpaid bills, and more. A new normal had taken effect in our lives and made us anxious and wonder if we should approach situations like we did before the pandemic took place. But is constantly questioning and second-guessing being out in public or gathering with others normal? Margaret Denise Rhone, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) Certified, addresses anxiety concerns.

Rhone suggests that you should “keep things at your own pace and control what you can control.” Knowing the difference between these two will allow you to create an action plan that will help combat fear and anxiety. Having an “Action Plan” can help you plan for what you can control and the things you cannot control. One key to a good “Action Plan” is to go at your own pace and not anybody else’s.

An excellent example of going at your own pace would be how/when you wear your mask post-Covid mandate was lifted. It’s to feel comfortable still wearing a mask in restaurants, grocery stores, gyms, and even family gatherings. If you feel comfortable wearing a mask at those kinds of places, even when the mask mandate has been lifted, then do so. That is going at your own pace. Margaret Denise Rhone explains, “you do things at your own pace, and you reconnect how you need to reconnect with society, with people, and build up a tolerance.”

Another tolerance exercise suggested by Margaret Denise Rhone is visiting places you used to go before the pandemic. Some examples could be going to a mall, walking in a park you used to visit, walking at the beach, fishing, etc. Once you select your activity, try doing it once every few days, maybe weekly, every two weeks, or monthly. Whatever pace you feel comfortable with will be the best for you and will help in the long run.