Nervous-cited About What’s Ahead?

Tips for Returning to Indoor Work and School Life

This fall, many of us who have been working and learning from home will be returning to offices, schools, and activities throughout the community (huge props to those who continued to work the front lines throughout this pandemic to keep us fed, healthy, and safe). While many people believe the return to inside spaces will be a good thing, others may have mixed feelings about the loosening restrictions. It’s one thing to meet your friends at an outdoor patio, or gather at a park for a game of pick-up, but quite another to wrap your head around returning to the office, in-person learning, or indoor activities.

It’s okay to be both nervous and excited for the changes ahead. Parents and caregivers might be excited to have kids learning in classrooms instead of at the kitchen table, but nervous about the potential for them to get sick. Students might be excited to see their school friends in person, but nervous about their relationships after a year of communicating via Google Classroom or Snapchat. Work colleagues might be excited to engage in some face-to-face team building, but still nervous about gathering indoors. My nephew calls this phenomenon nervous-cited (e.g. how you feel the first day of grade 9), and I think it does a good job of naming our feelings as we adjust to the upcoming changes in our school and work lives.

Here are three tips that can help us all navigate the changes ahead:

Be kind and empathetic to yourself and others. It’s important to remember that we all have different risk tolerances. I for one, can’t wait for the day I don’t have to ask “am I sharing my screen?” because I’ll be hosting an in-person meeting, but I acknowledge that my colleagues and community partners may not feel the same, so I’ll continue to offer the Teams option. Remember, for every caregiver who can’t wait to put their kid on the bus in September, there’s someone else who’s terrified to do the same thing.

Continue to follow public health measures (even if you’re fully vaccinated). This includes daily COVID screening for school and work (and staying home and getting tested if you have any symptoms), wearing a mask when required, and physical distancing. Continue to avoid touching your face, and keep up those good handwashing habits you’ve established.

Get vaxxed (both doses). This is the most important thing we can do to keep our community safe and healthy as we move indoors. Getting vaccinated protects you, your family, and your community, even those who can’t yet be vaccinated due to age or other circumstances. Every dose matters and will allow us to safely get back to the activities we love to do.

Bonus tip: if you have someone in your life who is hesitant to get vaccinated, let them know why it’s important to you and share some trusted resources such as kidshealthfirst.ca or tbdhu.com/vaccinefacts. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the upcoming changes, visit tbdhu.com/mentalhealthsupport for a list of local supports available.