After a year of devastation and uncertainty, many are breathing sighs of relief as widespread vaccinations and reopenings push forward.
But for others, reopening has prompted further unpredictability and anxiety.
On January 1 of this year, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 20,414 new daily cases as the county remained under a safer at-home order.
By that point, people had spent the better part of a year accustomed to life inside.
By May 19, the county turned a corner, reporting 255 new cases, including Long Beach and Pasadena.
Although over 50% of residents in Long Beach are vaccinated and restrictions have eased, the pandemic is not over and the City continues to struggle to vaccinate vulnerable populations. However, life on the outside is getting busier.
“I think for a lot of people it’s been kind of that whiplash,” Sam Weiss, lead therapist at Roots Through Recovery said of the ongoing transition.
“I know for some of my more anxious clients there was something somewhat comforting about being able to stay home and not be pressured to go out,” Weiss said. “Now that there is this kind of ‘Okay you can go back out and things are gonna start getting back to normal,’ there’s this sense from them that it’s like ‘I don’t know if I’m ready for that.’”
“Everyone’s having their own pandemic. You have some people that are super afraid of actual COVID. And so that’s highly stressful, a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear.”
–Jolissa Hebard, director of outreach for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Long Beach
Jolissa Hebard, director of outreach for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Long Beach (NAMI), listed the economic impacts of the pandemic as a stressor as well as the fear of getting sick.
“Everyone’s having their own pandemic,” Hebard said. “You have some people that are super afraid of actual COVID. And so that’s highly stressful, a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear.”
Weiss noted that for some of his more anxious clients, it’s not about being afraid of getting sick, but the expectation of functioning, being social and perhaps looking for a new job.
“They have to get back to their lives and if their lives weren’t particularly exciting before, there’s kind of been the sense of dread associated with things being back to normal,” Weiss said. “I think a lot of people are contemplating whether they even want to go back to the life that they had before.”
Hebard noted that while some people can’t imagine going inside a building with others, there’s a number of people who are excited about reopenings.
“When we talk about our community, especially being anxious about going back again, it’s so personal,” Hebard said.
The Long Beach City Council broached this subject during their Tuesday, May 18 meeting when discussing the reopening of restaurants and the future of outdoor dining parklets.
“I think we also need to be thinking about people’s tolerance for going indoors,” Vice Mayor Rex Richardson said. “Everyone has a different comfort level for how they reemerge into real.’”
Weiss said these anxieties are normal.
In Los Angeles County alone there have been over 24,000 COVID-19 related deaths reported to date and over 61,000 deaths reported statewide.
“We’ve been conditioned for the past year and a half or so that the world is dangerous,” Weiss said. “We have to just be patient with ourselves, that fear of being around people, or maybe even being without masks on.”
Weiss emphasized not putting pressure to feel like things are back to normal again, adding that patience will be key.
“We’ve all kind of been going through this grief process for the past year and a half when it came to just our lives being changed tremendously,” he said. “So we just have to take our time.”
As reopenings continue, what happens to accessibility?
For people with disabilities, who were often left out of the COVID-19 response, the pandemic had already disrupted many aspects of daily life. As reopenings continue, concerns are rising.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 90% of people who were hospitalized from COVID-19 had an underlying condition, something noted by Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of the nonprofit RespectAbility.
RespectAbility’s mission is to facilitate opportunities so people with disabilities can participate in the many aspects of community.
“That means that people with disabilities have reason to be disproportionately concerned about all the health things during this, so even when they are vaccinated, there is still a lot of fear,” Mizrahi said.
Mizrahi said that some people with disabilities are also concerned that employers will remove their option to work at home, impacting accessibility.
“There’s a big fear that people who live in poverty, or people who have serious mobility limits are going to once again be shut out of the great culture, events and opportunities in America.”
–Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of the nonprofit RespectAbility
“[During the pandemic] people saw for the first time that people can work productively from home, and very very successfully from home, and in fact, the whole country started to do it,” Mizrahi said. “[Losing] that is a real anxiety.”
People with certain disabilities have long advocated for telework, she noted.
Instant automatic captioning for Zoom made events more accessible for Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Virtual meetings created newfound opportunities for engagement, especially for individuals with limited mobility.
Now, there’s a fear that this advancement will be reversed as reopenings continue.
“There’s a big fear that people who live in poverty, or people who have serious mobility limits are going to once again be shut out of the great culture, events, and opportunities in America,” Mizrahi said.
How to cope with reopening anxiety
Self-help Apps and Hotlines
For the tech-savvy, Hebard recommended self-help apps available on smartphones that can be instant help. Hebard also recommended text lines or hotlines, such as the ones provided by NAMI.
De-escalation techniques
The 54321 exercise for panic attacks is another recommendation by Hebard.
During the exercise, people look for five things they can see, four things they can feel or hear, three things they can feel, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste. Hebard suggested the creation of a kit that can be carried to assist with the exercise.
Doing things in small steps
Weiss suggested keeping a focus on what people can control.
“Taking things one step at a time,” Weiss said. “Not getting ahead of ourselves.”
For those that are feeling nervous about going back to work or finding a new job, Weiss suggested doing things in small steps, such as doing a brief Google search to see what’s out there and then closing the computer to find an enjoyable activity.
“It doesn’t have to happen all at once,” Weiss said.
Although feelings about reopening may feel isolating, Hebard emphasized that these feelings are natural, especially for those with existing anxiety.
“That’s the most important message: you are not alone.”
If you or a loved one are in need of support, text NAMI to 741-741 to received crisis support through text, or call their helpline 800-950-NAMI.
