For the longest time, we were waiting for things to go back to “normal”. And now that COVID-19 vaccinations are well underway and working from home is not mandatory, some of us may be experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety. It could be due to possible changes now that we have to step out of our homes, the need to commute, and a return to the workplace on a more regular basis.
This phenomenon is known as re-entry anxiety, and it is an experience not unique to Singapore. For some months now, health experts have been discussing re-entry anxiety after lockdowns around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it would affect people.
The good news is, we are a resilient species. An advantage of returning to the workplace is that commuting time allows for a clearer separation between work and personal spaces, and a time to decompress. And we can certainly take small steps to make our re-entry into the public space a little more pleasant, especially during crowded commutes that can ordinarily be stressful – pandemic or not.
Here is a list of things you could try:
Meditate
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a long duration of time to meditate. In fact, many people do it during their trips on public transport or cab rides. For a start, you could use a guided meditation app like Calm or Headspace. And since you might have a gauge of when your stop would come, you could set the duration of each session and tune out until it is time to alight.