The emotional toll for individuals living alone during COVID was devastating for a lot of people. People who never had anxiety before COVID started having anxiety during COVID and people who had anxiety prior to COVID, their anxiety became much worse. The same is true for depression.
While most people who didn’t live alone got sick of living with their roommates/family/kids, people who lived alone had to go through an entire pandemic alone. Many of these people have a hard time socializing now that COVID is “over” (I’m not sure it will ever be over, but the world IS opening back up).
Socializing is a little like riding a bike. Although you never really forget, if you haven’t ridden a bike for a long time, you will most likely be pretty wobbly at the beginning. Please keep this in mind when you are getting back out into the world. Hopefully, you have been able to connect with people on platforms such as Zoom, but the etiquettes have changed and therefore it can be a little stressful.
One of the biggest things you can do is COMMUNICATE. Ask people you are hanging out with if they feel comfortable with a mask / no mask, if they want to have everyone test prior to gathering, etc. You will need to know your preferences as well so that you can share them.
If you are having trouble handling your anxiety or depression (whether it was present before COVID or not), please consider giving us a call. We offer virtual therapy and have some options for in-person therapy as well.
If you live in California and are looking for a therapist, please give us a call at Long Beach Therapy: 562-310-9741.