As more people across the country are vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC released guidelines last Monday allowing fully vaccinated people to meet without masks. But taking off the mask and adjusting to life before the pandemic will imply a learning curve, according to experts.
Dr. Aderonke Pederson, an instructor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said the pandemic’s one-year anniversary has become a milestone for people who have adjusted to a new normal.
“If we were talking about a week or two weeks of a change in routine, then going back to an appearance of normalcy would be a different point. But we are talking about a year of changes and adjustments, a year of losses on many levels, ”she said.
Illinois public health officials reported on Thursday that more than 1.3 million residents – just over 10% of the state’s population – were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The hesitation among those who have been fully vaccinated stems from learned behaviors, as well as from traumas associated with those who have been affected by the virus.
“After a year, we have been conditioned to say that the safest thing to do is to put on the mask and not be around other people, and now we have to readjust and adapt to what will become a new normal in the coming months,” she said. “There is a level of conditioning that happens when we are changing our behavior, when you continue to engage in that specific behavior for a specific time, your body adjusts to that behavior.”
Moving away from wearing a dedicated mask will take time and comfort levels vary from person to person, she added. In addition, returning to old routines before the pandemic will come with time, added guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an increase in the number of people fully vaccinated.
“It is important for us to keep track of the coming months and be patient with each other,” she said. “Step-by-step socialization approaches will be the best way to recover from what will be our new normal.”
For example, people may choose to have one-on-one meetings before becoming involved in large social groups.
Jacqueline Gollan, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said “baby steps” to normality will help overcome anxiety.
“Anxiety decreases when you trust medical science,” she said. “We are able to make predictions more accurately. It is like stepping slowly on the ice to make sure it is thick enough to hold us. Each of us has our own schedules to normalize. Some people will take big steps, others will need to look and see where they can make changes that are safe enough and mitigate their own risks. “
Usual and small steps will help to control the anxiety that can be created by taking bigger steps, added Gollan.
“We perceived social scenarios with a lot of apprehension and vigilance,” she said. “Now, once we are safely vaccinated, we have to redefine our expectations about social situations. The challenge, however, is that our built-in stress and surveillance systems may not restart as quickly as we prefer, but it will only take time to realize that social situations are safer when vaccinated. “