The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased sources of stress for many, along with changes in the ways we connect with others — from trying to stay clear of COVID-19 to spending less in-person time with loved ones and colleagues. Now that restrictions are easing up and more office workers are returning to the workforce in person, there is less virtual socialization and more face-to-face interactions. While some have been anticipating this and looking forward to a “return to normal,” others have preferred the more isolated lifestyle experienced during the pandemic. Those who deal with social anxiety have found remote learning, work, and socialization to be ideal.
Some people who have never experienced social anxiety in the past may go through re-entry anxiety — an uneasiness about returning to the old normal of schools and offices, hugs and handshakes, and social gatherings large and small. This can come from them becoming comfortable with social distancing and the remote lifestyle.
Anxiety expert Hillary Ammon, PsyD, an assistant professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, shares that, for most people, these feelings and worries surrounding a re-entry will likely disappear the more you engage with others.
However, re-entry may be a challenge for someone who suffers from social anxiety — an anxiety disorder that causes extreme fear in social settings. The last two years have allowed them to avoid the everyday tasks that come along with socialization which they may have found challenging. Some may have felt their anxiety significantly decrease during this period of time, but it’s likely their anxieties did not go away, Ammon explains. They have been paused due to the pandemic and it is likely that those social worries are beginning to return. But, people can prepare for their return to in-person activities to help manage their anxieties.
“If people are noticing that they are feeling anxious about returning to school or work or attending social outings, the first step is to acknowledge that they are feeling worried and consider why. Specifically, what are they worried will happen?” Ammon explains.
From there, Ammon encourages people to consider outings as experiments. Ammon says, “They can also revisit those initial worries and check the facts — did that feared outcome happen and if it did, was it as bad as expected?”
Managing Ongoing Social Anxiety Post-Pandemic
If you continue to experience anxiety in these situations and constantly find yourself “stuck in your head,” Ammon recommends speaking with a mental health specialist and considering treatment.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be highly effective in treating social anxiety disorder. CBT encourages people to examine their thoughts about themselves in social settings and raises their awareness of behaviors they engage in to reduce stress in social situations.
While going through CBT to treat social anxiety, people participate in social activities that normally create anxiety for them. For example, if talking to a familiar person is a low-level fear, they will start by greeting a classmate or co-worker. “While it may seem frightening, CBT has shown to resolve long term anxiety,” Ammon says.
There are also exercises that can be used to help alleviate social anxiety. One that people always have access to is breathing. Ammon explains that anxiety sends signals of threat to your brain, by slowing your breathing it signals your brain that there is no actual threat.
Another way to deal with social anxiety is to approach it head on. “Avoid avoidance!” says Ammon. Avoiding situations due to social anxiety reinforces your beliefs about yourself and social situations. In these moments people tend to engage in safety behaviors, such as someone focusing on their phone to discourage others from approaching — strategies that provide short-term relief. But these methods continue to reinforce negative beliefs about social interactions.
Social anxiety is a “vicious cycle,” Ammon says. Through acknowledgement, avoiding avoidance, and utilizing tools like deep breathing, social anxiety is something that can be managed as people prepare to re-enter a post-pandemic world.