MADISON, Wis.– If you feel a little uneasy about ditching your mask, hugging someone, or shaking hands again, you’re not alone.
A year of pandemic protections could take much longer to shake off.
Brenda Jessen meets new people every week while selling her plants at the Hilldale Farmer’s Market. She sees first-hand the way socializing with strangers has changed during the pandemic.
“It’s interesting because at first we saw people, you know, kind of trepidatious about everything,” Jessen said. “A lot of people have said to us is, ‘Oh my gosh, I almost forgot how to have a conversation,’ or ‘I almost forgot what it’s like to walk around and see other people and interact with people.’”
Clinical Health Psychologist at UW Health Dr. Victoria Egizio said those feelings are completely normal.
“Humans become anxious and kind of uneasy whenever there’s change,” Egizio said.
Egizio said people will go back to doing what used to be typical tasks at their own pace.
“Although we’ve kind of spent the most of our lives interacting with people, just kind of naturally having hugs and closeness and being out in public, a year off from that actually is a really long time,” Egizio said.
Egizio said she suggests figuring out what you’re comfortable with and asking the people you interact with the same questions.
“How do you fit into these guidelines? How are you following these guidelines? Are you vaccinate or not vaccinated,” Egizio said.
Those are conversations Jessen hears every week. It’s a new form of greeting that will likely stick around awhile.
“So many people come up and say ‘Oh, I’m vaccinated, I’m vaccinated,’ and, you know, they feel so much safer,” Jessen said. “People are pent up and they’re ready to get out and they’re ready to ditch the mask and get back to normal. So we’re ready for that, too.”
Egizio said not everyone is going to be ready all at once to drop some of the protections against COVID-19, just because doctors say it’s okay for fully vaccinated people to. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, she suggests talking with your own doctor to figure out what your risk level for different activities is.
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