I know I’m not alone when I say I am really sick of living alongside Covid-19. I know it has been a hard year and a half and I know everyone is anxious to get back to complete normalcy. As we’ve navigated this global pandemic, it has felt at times as if it was ebbing and flowing and there were moments of almost-normalcy. And in those times, many people verbalized that they felt uneasy. They stated that although they were happy to leave Covid in the past, they didn’t quite know how to re-enter their lives or what their post-Covid life needed to look like in order for them to feel comfortable.

I think that’s pretty understandable and as therapists, we continued to support our clients in creating a new “tiered normal”. A normal in which things were done in stages that each client felt comfortable with and didn’t push them too fast into society.. Other clients couldn’t wait to get back to normal and jumped in headfirst, but then as things started to heat up with a new wave, would report feeling frustrated to have to go backwards.

I think it’s safe to say (knock on wood, wish on a star, cross your fingers, toss that salt, do all the things) that we are headed out of the woods with Covid-19. At least I really really hope we are! And one thing that I hope will help everyone, whether you are leaping back into your life like a kid doing a canonball into the pool the first day it’s open, or you are gently just sticking a toe back into things, there are some techniques that may help us make the transition more healthy.

Prior to Covid, I think most people I spoke with had a fairly clear vision around what their personal values were. Whether they adhered to those values, whether they allowed their values to guide them rather than their impulses, and whether or not they’d ever really sat down and spent some time thinking about their values is a whole other story. But most people understood what their personal values were and could identify them fairly easily. Experiencing Covid-19 has changed some things for all of us, yes even me, and I believe taking a minute to review your personal values and determine whether or not you are on the same page as your pre-Covid self, is a worthy way to spend a few minutes. Maybe prior to Covid you were dedicated to your career and climbing the corporate ladder, but as things slowed down and you were forced to experience your world a little smaller, you’ve found being in nature is more important to you. Or maybe you were a social butterfly who loved nothing more than to host a large group of friends and family, but Covid made that experience too challenging and so you found joy in smaller gatherings or focusing just on family. Where ever your Covid-19 experience took you, one thing that may have shifted is your personal values. Below is a set of graphics for you to review to see if you are on the same page as yourself pre-Covid or not. It’s also a great conversation starter amongst spouses, with children, or with family and friends.

Want to print this graphic as a worksheet? I got you covered, just click here for a link to it on my Etsy shop!

I saw this meme recently (yes, I’m one of those counselors who speaks in memes sometimes) and it really resonated with me. I have so many clients say things like “I couldn’t take it anymore” or “I give up, I’m ready to talk to someone”. And the vibe I get from many of those types of remarks is “I’m not brave enough to continue on my own”.

But what if the strength isn’t in the ability to continue on alone, and instead it’s in the ability to ask for support? That’s how I see counseling and reaching out to a counselor. Calling or emailing a new counselor takes grit, and making that first connecting is often the grittiest part of the whole process. It’s intimidating opening up to a new person and talking about all the parts of you that don’t reflect your best self. And yet…what if your ability to face the grit, make the call, show up for the session, and be vulnerable is in fact showing you exactly how strong and brave you really are!

I took a few weeks off recently to recharge and reset and have some family time that wasn’t connected to virtual anything. It was wonderful and I’d be lying if I said coming back to work this week was super easy. But during the time I was away, many people continued to show their brave side and leave me messages looking for counseling. And this week, my first week back after a nice long break, I got to meet a lot of those people. Coming back to work after a break doesn’t always feel great, but coming back to witness bravery in real life and guide people through those first few steps in a counseling process, really makes it worth it.

To all of you who I met this week, welcome. I appreciate you’re bravery. To all those who I’ve been seeing for quite a while now, you are doing a great job continuing your process. To those I’ve not seen in a while or those who have recently ended their process with me, I hope you do well and wish you nothing but the best in your journey. You are all 100% brave in my book