The last year has been challenging for all of us as we continue to confront the realities of a global pandemic. Hope is beginning to appear just around the corner with the rollout of vaccines. Yet, many people are experiencing heightened anxiety symptoms during this time of transition. Jane Rubin, Ph.D. explains how times of transition can be sources of increased anxiety.
How would you describe what we are currently experiencing?
I think we’re in a period of transition that doesn’t actually feel like a transition. Even though vaccines are now available, most people haven’t been able to get them yet. And, even as we anticipate having much more vaccine availability over the next few months, it’s impossible to know what life is going to look like over the next year. When will schools reopen? When will we be able to resume something more like normal socializing? When will businesses be able to operate at something closer to full capacity? While we’re anticipating major changes over the next year, we don’t know what they’ll look like so we don’t know how to prepare for them.
What other things are at play?
I think this inability to plan for the future is creating a great deal of anxiety for some people. For example, I’m thinking of people who have wanted to change jobs but don’t feel like they can apply because they don’t know what their work situations will look like once we resume something more like normal life. If they apply for a job in another state because they can work remotely now, will they be asked to move once companies return to in-person work? What is work going to look like post-pandemic? People who were dating before COVID have seen their dating lives grind to a halt. Now they’re experiencing anxiety about how to resume meeting people. How will they know what’s safe and what isn’t? Finally, parents are experiencing a great deal of anxiety about when and how schools can re-open. On the one hand, they’re anxious to have their children back in school. On the other hand, they want to know that their children will be safe. And, of course, these anxieties are just as great, or greater, for teachers. How will they know when it’s safe to return to their classrooms?
When working with these clients where do you try to focus?
It’s really a balancing act. On the one hand, I think it’s important to help people have a sense of hope for the future. Six months ago, we didn’t know if there would be a vaccine for COVID. Now we have several. And, even though the process of trying to get a vaccine has been enormously frustrating, the fact remains that several million more people are getting vaccinated every week. So there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
At the same time, we can’t let our guard down. As the various mutant strains of the virus become more dominant, we need to continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing in the hopes that we can prevent another catastrophe. So it’s a matter of balancing our justified hopes that our lives are going to get better over the next six to nine months with a realistic understanding of where we are right now.
In many ways, I think we have to accept that, for the time being, we’re in a transition that can feel like a holding pattern. We want to make decisions about the future. Yet, in many respects, we don’t have enough information to be able to make them. We’d like to make travel plans. However, we don’t know yet when we’ll be able to travel safely. We’re not sure when it will feel safe to do things we’ve put off, like dentist appointments or routine medical appointments. Being able to live with a fair amount of uncertainty is going to be crucial to reducing anxiety during this time of transition.
Do you have any final advice?
I think it’s important to stay grounded in the present as much as possible. It’s very easy, in a time of transition, to become caught up in our desire for things to change right now. We’ve been cooped up for so long that we’re chomping at the bit to be able to do more things and see more people. Maintain hope for the future while being realistic about what’s possible in the present. It is the way to avoid being overwhelmed by anxiety in this time of transition.Click here to learn more about anxiety treatment with Dr. Jane Rubin.Jane Rubin, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist in Berkeley, California. She works with individuals in Berkeley, Oakland, the East Bay, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area who are struggling with depression and anxiety. She also specializes in working with people who are trying to find meaning and direction in their lives.