Going Back to the Old Normal? Returning to Work or School

June 18, 2021

By Keisha Goodleaf-Delisle

With COVID vaccines being increasingly available to our community members and others in surrounding areas it’s evident that returning to the way life used to be may be right around the corner. For some, this can be very exciting, but for others the thought of returning to their job could be causing return to work anxiety and stress.

So much has changed since March 2020, and for many of us this meant learning to work from home rather than going to work every day – or not working at all. Although this change may have been quite stressful initially, the long duration of the pandemic has allowed us to adapt to our new normal. It’s no surprise that many of us are feeling anxious as we look ahead to returning to work, returning to once comfortable but now unfamiliar routines.

To help gain a sense of control over what’s to come, it helps to plan ahead — perhaps by revisiting your work wardrobe, dusting off your daily planner, or looking up some new recipes for lunch-on-the-go. Returning to work or school on campus isn’t all bad, and it helps to look at the positives, the opportunity to see coworkers and classmates that you’ve missed, perhaps relief of being able to get back into old routines that once brought us stability, security and comfort. If all else fails, try finding some new, challenging activities to help keep you occupied while easing into the “old normal”.

You’re not alone in feeling this way and gaining support by talking to friends, family or anyone for that matter will be vital to our adjustment and accepting that things will look different than what they were before. Despite the jarring effects of COVID-19, the world’s swift transition could have some lasting positive impacts. It has created a realization of the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and has even opened up the doors to allow for more flexibility for employees to achieve a work-life balance that works for them. People are valuing the life in work-life balance more than ever before.