Reintegration After Isolation

With the onset of the COVID pandemic, there was a multitude of social outlets many of us like to engage in that were put on hold. Concerts, going to restaurants, and even more mundane social contexts such as working in a setting with co-workers that we sometimes take for granted were all interrupted last March. A common sentiment heard during this period of time was “I can’t wait to socialize again” regardless of what one’s preferred means of socialization was. Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and social events are starting to happen again. Concerts are suddenly able to be planned, restaurants are starting to bustle with patrons more than in the past year, and some workplaces are transitioning back to work in-person. Yet despite these exciting realities of socialization becoming available again, there’s one sentence that I’ve heard frequently over the past few weeks from clients and friends alike: “I think I’m excited to socialize, but for some reason I feel anxious about it.”

 What’s up with this hesitation towards part of our lives that we’ve been craving for so long now feeling like a daunting task? ‘Social Atrophy’ is a term that has gotten a lot of use when it comes to this phenomenon, making the comparison of practicing socialization to working out a muscle; when that muscle is used less, it suddenly feels weaker. The Anxiety & Depression Association of America explains the mental mechanisms behind ‘Social Atrophy’ like this:

 “The level of uncertainty inherent in the COVID-19 pandemic has been anxiety-provoking for most people. Still, in recent months, many people had started to become habituated to a new way of life, one that was primarily spent indoors. For many people, this started to feel safe or even comforting. Now, attempting to resume required activities is another transition that the brain needs to adapt to, in a short span of time. So, it’s not surprising that this new transition would be anxiety-provoking”  (Bhatia, 2020).

 Basically, our social priorities shifted from one end to the other, then back again in what feels like a quick turnaround, and some people are experiencing this ‘social atrophy’ as a result. For those who are experiencing feelings similar to this, the anxiety may serve as a barrier to reengaging in aspects of socialization they once enjoyed. Ultimately, there are two things to remember about the idea of ‘social atrophy’ in regards to reintegration after the pandemic:

1. Isolation has caused a lack of practice: If ‘atrophy’ is the issue that we are experiencing when it comes to our social skills, it makes sense that more than a year of lacking opportunities to socialize have left a lot of us feeling similarly lacking in our social skills. 
2. This is a shared experience: The widespread nature of the COVID pandemic means that many people have similar experiences of ‘social atrophy,’ and can understand and empathize with its effects. Those who have these feelings of anxiety aren’t alone in their experience.

Bhatia, R. (2020, July 24). 10 Tips to Manage Re-Entry Anxiety Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In Anxiety & Depression Association of America. Retrieved from https://adaa.org/learn-from-us...