For some, returning to pre-COVID life is more difficult than expected

Shelby Bernstein can’t wait for life to return to normal.

Theoretical.

But as COVID-19 restrictions lifted across the country, Bernstein became increasingly anxious.

“Maybe it looks like Stockholm Syndrome, except our catcher is coronavirus,” she said. “We are all so used to the mental and physical ravages that they have caught our attention that any sense of normalcy feels wrong.”

During the pandemic, the 29-year-old product photographer limited his trips to the market, spent a month without seeing his boyfriend, and met only with friends in parks – mostly masked and six feet apart.

He returned to work in person at a Santa Monica jewelry company in July, but spent most of the day in a bungalow alone. He even tried to limit his trips to the bathroom to avoid being indoors with other people.

Intellectually, Bernstein knows that the risk of getting COVID-19 in Los Angeles is significantly lower than it was in a year. Cases in the county have declined since peaking in January, and more than 50 percent of the state’s adult population has received at least one stroke. In addition, Bernstein received his first dose of vaccine a few weeks ago, giving him significant protection against the disease.

It is not hypochondriac or hermit. She misses parties and getting on a plane to see friends. But she is not yet ready to relax the behaviors that kept her safe – and gave her peace of mind – last year.

Medical experts say her concerns are valid. About 26% of Americans are fully vaccinated, and 40% get the first shot. This still leaves most Americans unprotected.

At the same time, he notes that for fully vaccinated people, activities such as hugging or eating in a restaurant are safe, especially if vulnerable friends and family members are also vaccinated.

But while experts may say that vaccines provide excellent protection against the virus, some people can’t help but feel that everything sounds too good to be true. And while cases and deaths are on a downward trend in California, they are rising in other parts of the country.

As in almost any of this pandemic – family reunions, business closures, schools – Angelenos’ feelings about reopening the county range from exaltation to alarm.

Some of us jumped at the chance to see movies in the actual cinemas, have a drink at a bar with friends, cheer up the Dodgers, or attend a small party with completely immunized friends. However, for others – even for those completely vaccinated – the fear that any relaxation of safety protocols will lead to another wave is difficult to shake.

“Every time I see people eating or going out with unmasked friends, I get stuck and feel hopeless,” Bernstein said. “I hate to feel that way, but unfortunately for me and many others, I think this imminent feeling of fear will be with us for a long time.”

A recent poll by the American Psychological Assn. found that 49% of Americans feel uneasy about adapting to in-person interactions with the end of the pandemic. Similarly, 46% said they did not feel comfortable returning to their pre-pandemic life.

In both cases, those who were concerned were as likely to be vaccinated as not, said Vaile Wright, the association. senior director for health innovation.

This suggests that the vaccine itself is not an anxiety reducer, or at least not an anxiety eliminator, said Wright, who worked on the study. “We have been in this routine for a year, and the change will take some time.”

Dr. Ella Shadmon, who is a family physician in Pasadena, recently traveled with her husband and two teenage daughters to Arizona for spring break. It was the first time the family had been on a plane since the pandemic began.

As a medical professional, Shadmon received his first vaccine in January. Both her husband and one of her daughters are completely vaccinated.

The family wore N-95 masks for the short flight from Burbank to Phoenix and stayed on an Airbnb after arriving in Sedona. They dined at restaurants – outdoors – and checked to make sure the staff was completely masked first.

Because she is vaccinated, Shadmon does not feel in danger of receiving COVID-19. However, he found himself experiencing a number of feelings throughout the trip.

“It was weird. It was exciting. It was too crowded. It was full of mixed emotions,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Re-entry is not as easy as it sounds.”

For Shadmon, this troubled space where we are no longer in the middle of the pandemic, but I can’t get out of it either, was the hardest phase to navigate.

When cases were high and vaccines were rare, it was easy to know what to do to stay safe: Stay home as long as possible. Wear masks. Keep your physical distance.

“Now we are at this midpoint,” she said. “And because every state, county and community does something completely different, it makes it 100 times worse.”

She is no longer worried that her vaccinated family members will become vectors of the disease, but what about the others? Did all those people who eat inside restaurants get the vaccine? In both Arizona and California, the answer is probably no.

“When will the feeling that the crowds are wrong disappear? I’m not sure when I’ll get there in person, “she said. “I think we need full immunity from the herd. But when we reach at least 50% [vaccination] sign, I think I will feel very different. ”

Reports of new variants of coronavirus and their potential to overcome vaccine protection have also added to the anxiety of some people.

“There is such a lasting sense of insecurity and confidence that information is constantly changing about the variants, the effectiveness of vaccines and how long immunity lasts,” said Laurie Stone, a psychologist in West Los Angeles. “I don’t really trust that.”

Stone received the second dose of the vaccine in February, but this is a small comfort.

“I still have this chronic restraint,” she said. “It’s hard to soften the fear.”

Dr. Marybeth Sexton, an infectious disease specialist at Emory University School of Medicine, said it makes sense that even vaccinated people still feel anxious to reopen, especially when most Americans are still unprotected.

For unvaccinated people, “it’s essential to keep doing the things we know – wear a mask in public, stay away from people, and avoid things that can lead to super-widespread events, such as indoor meals, drinks. at bars and large gatherings inside, ”Sexton said.

She said, however, that these rules should not apply to vaccinated people.

“If you are vaccinated, doing these things is a very low risk,” she said. “Two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or the first dose of Johnson & Johnson, the risk of infection is dramatically reduced, and the risk of being hospitalized or dying is almost zero.”

Chunhuei Chi, director of the Center for Global Health at Oregon State University, agreed that fully vaccinated people could safely go out to dinner and a movie, but added that no one should expect everything to happen. it suddenly returns to its pre-pandemic paths.

“Returning to normalcy is not a quick leap, it is incremental,” he said.

Even in Taiwan, where there have been no new cases of coronavirus for more than six weeks, the government continues to require people to wear masks on public transportation, Chi said.

For those experiencing extreme anxiety, Charmaine Jackman, a psychologist and health expert, recommends focusing on the present moment.

“If you’re in a spiral, look at it, pull back and don’t judge yourself,” she said. “Concerns about the future can be intense. Be in the present moment. Don’t go too far. ”

Another thing to consider: Judging others for taking fewer precautions hurts your own mental health.

“We do not know why people make the choices they make. There could be a good reason, “she said. “It’s helpful to think about it this way for your own self-care and peace of mind.”

Achieving this peace of mind could come through the gradual re-entry of society.

You might start with something relatively easy, such as going to the grocery store with a mask, said Wright of the psychological association. Then experiment with a small gathering in the yard and later a meal at an outdoor restaurant.

“When we practice avoidance, we implicitly say to the brain, ‘It’s too scary’ or ‘I can’t handle it,'” Wright said. What can reverse these messages is dealing with certain situations.

We all have different tolerances of uncertainty, she said. Some of us may feel comfortable only if we can be sure that we are 100% safe.

But that will always be evasive – whether or not we are in a pandemic.