As more people get vaccinated, offices re-open, restaurants increase capacity and people start to gather again, there can be mixed feelings. While some may be overjoyed at the opportunities to connect, others may feel anxious at the prospect of getting together face-to-face again. I remember the first time I met a new client in the office after doing teletherapy for a year, I had many different emotions. I was so glad to meet them in person, yet I also had gotten so used to Zoom sessions that I had some anxiety. I had almost forgotten what it was like to sit with someone in person. I had to make sure I was actually dressed properly from head to toe that day instead of getting dressed from the waist up and wearing my leggings and slippers or flip flops from the waist down. I had forgotten what it was like to use paper intake forms as I had transitioned everything to electronic. The first time I ate in a restaurant and removed my mask I noticed some anxiety which took the form of scanning the room, wondering if others nearby were vaccinated, asking myself if I doing the right thing eating out even though I had been vaccinated. However, it was like riding a bike again after a long time. After a few minutes, I forgot about my anxiety and just enjoyed being served and not having to clean up for the first time in over a year. I enjoyed being able to be present in the room with my client while talking about painful things.

Getting out in the world again can be exhilarating and anxiety provoking. Some people will have to do it for work (or may have been doing it all along) and some people may choose to do it. For those things in which we have a choice, it’s an opportunity to check in with yourself around your values. Why are you doing this or that activity? Is it a necessity? Is it a “should”- something you feel have you to do but don’t really want to? Or is it something truly important to you that makes any discomfort worthwhile? When the quarantine happened last year, it was an opportunity for our family to just be together and not rush around from activity to activity. After activities slowly began to resume, we took the opportunity to decide if we truly wanted to do them or if they were actually just a “should” or had to do with a value that belonged to someone else and not us. We realized that being so “busy,” something often embraced in our culture, might not actually be a family value of ours. Some activities fell by the wayside and others we truly choose- either because of a value of community (Tae Kwon Do and soccer), pure joy (Skiing) or health (running or walking).

As you are forced to or choose to venture back out into the world, take stock of what is important to you and whenever possible, act on those values even if it’s uncomfortable doing so. Getting out may feel awkward but it’s worth it and most likely, you’ll get used to it again. And your eyes will enjoy the break from Zoom! You might consider starting small with an activity closer to home or going to a place with which you are familiar. Part of Cognitive Behavior Therapy is doing “exposure therapy” which involves approaching what you fear in a step-by-step manner. That’s the “Behavior” part of CBT. The “Cognitive” part involves strategies for all those "what-ifs" and worst case scenarios the anxious mind is so good at generating. Be kind to yourself about the discomfort you feel, remind yourself of your values, and take a small step out into the world.

If you’re struggling with re-entry anxiety and need some tools, feel free to reach out to us here at CBTDenver and check out this article on post vaccine travel anxiety from the Washington Post: https://news.yahoo.com/anxious-post-vaccine-travels-youre-183035396.html

Happy Re-entry!

-Antonia