What’s really behind ‘return to normalcy’ anxiety

In this video, business and life coach Tatev Petrosyan addresses the fears some of us may be experiencing regarding returning to ‘normalcy’ in the wake of Covid-19 lockdowns, and with pandemic fears still persisting.

While many of us struggled with the burden of working from home while simultaneously parenting, and burning out over relentless Zoom interactions, there were others of us who appreciated shedding the grind of the daily commute and the pressure to be more extroverted, socially or professionally.

So, if returning to a more in-person environment is generating anxiety in us – whether because it marks a disruption from a routine that now feels familiar, or because of lingering fears of being exposed to infection – the first thing she counsels is to do everything possible to avoid passing on that anxiety to children if we have kids, or interact with young people significantly.

Kids pick things up so easily, and can very quickly absorb the stress or fears of the adults in their lives, she reminds.

She also advises taking a gentler approach with ourselves, instead of diving into self-recrimination, and, wherever it is within our control, to opt to ease back into social interactions gradually.

“Please be gentle with yourselves,” she says. “We’ve been through a lot of adjustments and not everyone responds to changes in the same way. And that’s fine, it has nothing to do with who’s mentally healthy, who’s not mentally healthy – it’s just your pace.”

Life is full of uncertainties, there is no permanence, she continues. No matter how much we try to control our circumstances, life doesn’t really work out that way.

“The only thing we have control over is how we’re experiencing changes when they come, how much we allow them to affect us,” she says. “So, that part needs our attention regardless of going back to normalcy after lockdown.”

Ultimately, research shows that deep-rooted patterns and habitual thinking are typically the true drivers of anxiety, says the coach, and we should “do everything we can to look into that”. External stressors, such as returning to a more ‘normal’ life, merely bring those pre-existing patterns to the surface.

To learn more about Tatev Petrosyan’s Life Coaching practice, and to see if her approach might benefit you, click here, or contact her directly at: [email protected].

View the original video here.

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