How to prepare for normal life to begin again

The return to normal life will be as overwhelming as it is exciting for lots of people - here are some tips to help with this.

Now that we have a long-awaited date for normal life resuming, it’s nice to be able to count down the days to when we can hug our family members and meet up with our friends again, or even go out clubbing. This is all extremely exciting and what we’ve all been waiting and praying for since the pandemic began a year ago. However, it will feel strange, our emotions will be heightened, and going back to socializing may prove overwhelming. Even meeting up with a few friends for some drinks at the pub may feel like a thrilling but also an anxiety-inducing thing to do.

As someone who is both extremely happy at the thought of seeing my friends again and being able to be mask-less in a supermarket, I am also filled with a tinge of anxiety at the prospect. I have gotten so used to having time to myself and enough free time to get on with my University work with (slightly) less stress, that it will be weird to adapt back to normality.

Everyone will struggle to a different extent but if I could give you one piece of advice which I too will follow, is to make sure you go at your own pace. Do things when you feel comfortable doing them, especially like attending large gatherings. And if, when they happen again, you have a moment where you want to curl up and be alone, take yourself out of that situation and just breathe. I for one feel strange even sat here writing this article thinking about going on nights out again and buying festival tickets, as we are still in a third national lockdown. Potentially being back to normality in just over two months is daunting, to say the least.

On a more positive note, we will soon be able to meet up with one other person, and not long after in a group of six, so make sure to get in contact with those friends you haven’t spoken to for a while. Ring up that family member you wish you saw more of, and plan days out for when restrictions are lifted. There is always a slight feeling of apprehension when meeting up with someone you haven’t seen in a while, even in normal times, but I can guarantee once you’re back socialising in normal circumstances, it’ll be worth it and lots of memories will be made.

Edited by Pia Cooper