12 Jul Embracing The New-Old Normal

There aren’t many constants in life but one thing we can always be sure of is that change is inevitable. When Covid struck in 2020, the world had to adapt and change quickly to a new way of life. We were introduced to social distancing, working from home, and wearing masks whenever we went, in short, the restrictions and changes were constant. 

Now that we’re entering what many are considering post-Covid (even though we’re still very much in a pandemic) the world is again changing and we have to get used to how things were done before the pandemic. Even sitting next to people in a cinema and not wearing a mask can feel daunting and uncomfortable, even though it’s something we did all the time pre-covid. These seemingly normal events have triggered our ability to be flexible and heighten our ability to relearn things that might have been normal to us before. 

This flexibility and adaption got us thinking about how often on your learning journey- and life- we’ll have to learn and unlearn, sometimes over and over again. While learning and unlearning things are scary and can leave us feeling intimidated, they can also be used to improve our personal growth. Here are four things to remember during these changing and challenging times. 

You can be flexible

Flexibility refers to the willingness and ability to change according to the situations and environments we are in, it’s about how you can pivot. For example, with the mask mandate being lifted, some people may choose to forego masks while others may choose to keep them on. Flexibility allows us to adapt to these changes and respect that in many social situations things will be returning to the way it was pre-covid. 

Shift your focus

Like we said earlier, change is inevitable, there are and will always be things that will be out of your control. But instead of focusing on the things we have no control of, like a particular situation or the actions of others, we can look at what we can take charge of in our sphere. Shifting your focus from what is out of your hands and what you can’t do to what you can, will help ease those feelings of anxiety and fear. 

Be open to old and new experiences

Change and transition allow us to experience new things and even old experiences we may have missed. During the pandemic, many people became more isolated and may have missed get-togethers and socialising with others. So, with things returning back to somewhat normal, many have the chance to flex those social muscles again. On a personal front, you may have realised that you missed being around others or perhaps you want to go more places, see more people, do more things or put yourself there, now you can. Now can be a great time to put into action a lot of the things you may have wished to change or improve while there were restrictions.

As always, be kind to yourself

Adapting is not easy, so give yourself time to get used to change and the new-old normal. Process the emotions you may feel around going back to normal, returning to the office, the optional mask-wearing etc. Some of us may feel excitement at the thought of normalcy while for others it may trigger anxiety, both of these reactions are valid. Be kind to yourself and take it easy as you become open to what you are feeling, if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, be sure to seek help and speak to trusted people in your life.