Jessica PingLet me just start off today’s blog post by saying this: It is 100% natural and valid to hate this pandemic and all the pain it’s caused around the world, but still be nervous for it to end. Post-Covid anxieties are very real and should be taken seriously. Not only do many of them highlight parts of our society’s structure that could be improved, but they also matter to several people you love and care about.
Today, I am sharing my list of post-covid anxieties as a chronically ill and disabled young woman in order to get people thinking about the ways we can ensure a return to normalcy doesn’t impede on people’s ability to live.
*Disclosure: There are affiliate links in the following article, meaning that, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links, I will receive a small commission.
STORYTIME – I Had A Panic Attack At My In-Law’s House
Two weeks ago, Jack and I traveled out of London to go and visit his parents. It was his first time seeing them since August, and my first time seeing them since our wedding in February 2020. So, to say we were excited would be a massive understatement.
His parents had been vaccinated and, aside from their grandson, weren’t regularly interacting with others. So, other than the short train ride, neither Jack nor I were too worried about anyone’s safety.
We planned to stay with them for 5 days and, as a result, chose to bring our new puppy, Oreo, with us on the trip. For the first few days, everything was great! It was so amazing having conversations in person again!
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But, on the third day, I started to become overwhelmed. It was truly the weirdest feeling. I love these people! They’re part of my family! Why was I panicking?
After not being around anyone but my husband for four months straight, and, before that, only being around my parents, it’s no wonder that the addition of new people, including my nephew, was a bit much on me mentally.
Jumping back into life as we knew it before Covid is not going to be easy.
Not even a little bit.
Some people will struggle more than others. And, truth be told, you might not think that you’ll struggle until you actually do.
But, if you’re like me, then you already know that normalcy is going to take a toll on you. Perhaps you also have a list of post-covid anxieties reeling around in your head.
To help normalize people’s worries and to open up conversations surrounding some of the access provided during the pandemic, I decided to share my list of post-covid anxieties with you all. Let me know in the comments if you have any similar or different post-covid anxieties.
General Post-Covid Anxieties:
1. Socializing
From the story above, I am sure this isn’t that surprising. Before this pandemic, I would have labeled myself as an ambivert that tends to be slightly more extroverted. Now that I’ve been isolated for over a year, I have noticed a shift. I truly think that our environment has changed me into an introvert.
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The idea of small talk makes me nervous. Interacting with strangers makes me sweat. MAKING NEW FRIENDS IS TERRIFYING.
Perhaps what I am actually experiencing is social anxiety. But, after not really speaking to anyone outside of my inner circle and close family members for the last year, I feel like it’s expected.
2. Crowds
I don’t know about y’all, but I have thoroughly enjoyed staying 6 feet away from strangers. The number of butts that have rubbed along my hand or gotten dangerously too close to my face throughout my life is frighteningly high. During this pandemic, that number has been 0.
Being around large numbers of people makes me nervous, but it hasn’t always. I used to love going to concerts and being down close to the stage, or watching the nighttime parade at Disney World, or even sitting in a packed arena to watch some basketball. But, after this year, getting up the courage to throw myself into a mosh pit of people is not going to be easy.
Large, crowded environments aren’t the safest spaces for disabled people anyways. Now, add in the fear of catching Covid (because, yes, you can still get it even with the vaccine), and I am probably going to steer clear of them if I can.
3. Unequal Opportunities
If you’ve traveled, partied, or done anything else that would be considered selfish and irresponsible this year, then I can promise you, I’ve noticed and I’ve been less than impressed. People’s unwillingness to do what’s best for the greater good will never cease to disappoint me.
But, I’ve noticed a new pattern brewing, and I am NOT happy about it.
Throughout this pandemic, these same people have booked up vacation rentals, spa days, restaurant seating, and more for this coming summer and fall. As vaccine rollout continues, many countries have stated that a post-covid world may be returning sooner than we originally thought. Now, people who have been patient and isolating all year are unable to find accommodation or open activities that they can participate in at a reasonable rate.
It’s absurd and it’s infuriating.
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I, myself, have not begun making any summer plans, but I know that doing so will be more than challenging. All of the anger I have felt towards others over the last year is sure to reignite.
After this year of hell, we all deserve a break from reality and from isolation. It’s just a shame that some people won’t get to have their break due to other people’s continued selfish behavior.
4. Getting Sick
No, I am not just talking about Covid.
I’m talking about the flu, the common cold, the stomach bug, and every other illness that impacts the human race.
We’ve had a year off. By staying away from others, I have managed to only get a small cold once in the last year. It lasted for 3 days and was more of an annoyance than an inconvenience. That sure beats the tri-annual butt-kicking I used endure before the pandemic.
I’ll take an occasional illness if it means we can return to normal, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly nervous about it.
5. People Forgetting Everything They’ve Learned This Year
This past year has been HUGE for social justice.
Marches, protests, campaigns, new allies – change has EXPLODED and voices have been heard for the first time, in some cases, ever.
Once Covid is over, I worry that the energy and momentum will fade. I fear that many people will resort to their old way of living – in the dark.
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Disability Specific Post-Covid Anxieties:
6. Work From Home Opportunities Disappearing
Last March, it was truly ASTONISHING how quickly companies, large and small, were able to move their entire team online. This is an accommodation that disabled people have been asking for for years. Decades even.
It was never possible before, but now, all of a sudden, it’s the norm.
But, once it’s safe, will it continue to be acceptable to work from home?
If not, the point is even clearer than it already was.
The unwillingness to allow employees to work from home was never about the company’s ability to make it happen, it was only ever about who was asking.
If you want to know more about why WFH options are so important to the disability community, I encourage you to read some of my earlier blog posts:
- https://therollingexplorer.com/national-disability-employment-awareness-month-ndeam-what-you-need-to-know-in-2020/
- https://therollingexplorer.com/5-ways-you-can-help-improve-disability-representation-in-the-workplace/
- https://therollingexplorer.com/6-things-you-can-do-in-2021-to-be-a-better-disability-community-ally/
7. Removing Access To Events, Museums, Tourist Destinations, ETC
Raise your hand if you have attended an online event this year that was previously only ever available in person. Whether you watched live footage of penguins playing at the zoo, went on a virtual tour of Paris, or attended a conference online, you were given access to things that many disabled people have NEVER had access to before.
Thousands of organizations have bent over backward to ensure that society could still participate in various activities and events.
But, once life goes back to normal, will the access remain? Will they at least host their event in an inclusive space?
If pre-covid life is anything to go by, probably not.
8. Being Expected To Go Out
I have Gastroparesis. For the moment, most of my days are okay. I might experience some nausea and acid reflux, particularly at night, but, generally speaking, I am doing alright.
That said, I go through occaisional flare-ups. On these days, I can barely get out of bed, let alone go out with other people.
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I got this diagnosis during the pandemic. Most of my friends and family know me as the girl who hardly ever says no. The girl who likes adventure. Hell, that’s the girl I’ve come to know (and love) over the years too.
She’s still here, but she’s not always physically available.
Going out, drinking, traveling – while it’s all still possible, it needs to be limited.
While I am anxious about other people’s reactions to this, I’m more so worried about how these limitations will affect my own mental health.
9. Dealing With Rude People Out In Public
There are a lot of people in the world that appear to be offended at my presence out in public. Some whisper it under their breath, while others just shoot a dirty look in my direction. There are others who are curious and have to use every inch of self-restraint they have to avoid asking an intrusive question. Sometimes, they ask it anyways. Other times, they stare and try to figure it out for themselves.
These are just a handful of scenarios I experience when I go out in public as a physically disabled person.
Throughout much of the pandemic, I was able to avoid it. I spent the first 9 months of Covid back in my hometown at my parents house. If we went out, it was just to walk around the neighborhood. If we saw people out and about, 9.9 times out of 10, they already knew who I was.
Then I moved to London in November. Between lockdown and the cold of winter, when Jack and I would go out, we weren’t often met by too many others on the street.
Now that restrictions are lifting and more people are flooding back to the city, Jack and I have noticed this rude behavior more and more. It’s sure to only get worse as the world continues to reopen.
After experiencing a full year with so little face to face ableism, jumping back into a world where it happens so frequently is definitely one of my biggest post-covid anxieties.
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Final Words About Post-Covid Anxieties
Even with all of these post-covid anxieties, I am still more than ready for the pandemic to be behind us. That said, if you know someone who is worried about life post-pandemic, then try to be as supportive as possible. Admitting one’s vulnerabilities is never easy and this is going to be a huge change for EVERYONE. It’s scary and it’s okay to say it.
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