As the city is starting to open up after months of coronavirus-induced lockdown, your days of working from home might be coming to an end. It’s understandable if you feel your anxiety levels rising whenever you contemplate stepping into the elevator at the office.


Going back to work after COVID-19 may be an entirely new experience. And that can make anybody feel unsettled.

Work places are opening up, but nothing is the same.There are all kinds of reasons to feel fear or concern about returning to your job after working from home or not working for months. People might fear getting sick or being exposed to COVID, and worry that their workplace and responsibilities will be unrecognizable after so long at home. It’s also common to worry that other people might not act responsibly when it comes to hygiene.

The idea of encountering a sea of masked faces in the workplace could also feed anxiety. Masks are essential to get businesses back up and running. But masks can make people feel unnerved and isolated, because they obscure facial expressions and make it harder to read others.

Months at home may also have changed your expectations and abilities when it comes to the workday. People may fear that they will dislike being back in the workplace relative to home. This is pretty understandable, because there’s not much chance your boss will let you work in pajamas or take five snack breaks per hour.

A woman types on a laptop as she contemplates her anxiety about going back to work after coronavirus.

 

Your anxiety is justified if your area isn’t quite safe for returning to work just yet, especially if there’s a rise in cases in your local hospitals. That means that there are more serious cases and that we may be up against the limits of healthcare system capacity. If you’re feeling anxious about whether your city or town is heading out of lockdown too soon, pay attention to the public health department. Do they believe that they can administer enough tests, and do they have contact tracers in place for coronavirus cases? If the answer is no, talk to your boss about staying remote for a while longer.

Some employers are embracing flexible work more permanently as a result of these concerns. Be proactive about your fears. Talk to your employer about what the safety protocols are, and what you need to do to stay in good standing and thrive. Talk to your co-workers. There is a very good chance that at least some of your fears are their fears. Sharing these anxieties with management and those around you will enable you to feel less alone, and will also help create action plans to make you feel more comfortable.

If you’re feeling a lot of anxiety about returning to work, try not to downplay it. Acknowledge it instead of trying to deny it, to say it’s not happening or there is no reason for it. Simply accept and own the fear. Write down exactly what you are anxious about and make it as specific as possible. If you’re anxious about mask-wearing, think about it as an act of care. When we wear them we send two clear, distinct, social signals: that we are looking out for each other’s health and that we are all in this together. Even if you can only see the eyes of your coworkers, you’re all taking measures to protect one another, and that’s pretty amazing.

Anxieties about your own health can be addressed outside of work, too. Stay healthy, wash your hands, social distance, and maybe develop a routine for cleaning your clothes and showering as soon as you get home. Look for techniques and rituals that can make you feel more in control, and give yourself time. As routine begins to set in, anxiety has a way of fading.


Source : Bustle


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