The fear of returning to work after confinement

The exceptional situation in which we find ourselves due to the coronavirus pandemic is problematic, among other things, because it makes it necessary to adapt to a changing reality in which many variables.

Many people have difficulties when facing situations for which there are no precedents in recent decades; Until a few months ago, practically no one considered what to do in a context of confinement due to the risk of contagion.

One of these problems that can arise is having to manage a feeling of fear of returning to work as the de-escalation of the confinement takes place. In this article we will see what to do in such a situation.

• Related article: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

The fear of returning to work after the lack of confinement: a complex problem

In a situation of economic crisis, having emotional problems linked to the workplace is especially painful. That is why those who feel fear, insecurity or even anguish at the idea of ​​being back at work they may feel that the situation is beyond them

: the context is already convulsive enough, and to this we must add an emotional disturbance that affects the way in which he performs professionally.

Fear can arise from different causes: the expectation of facing a lot of accumulated work, the fact of feeling that the risk of dismissal is close, the fact of exposing yourself to other people, etc. Sometimes, what is scary is the idea of ​​not being able to indefinitely postpone everything that has to do with the work and pretend not to think about what is going to happen in the professional and economic field of our lives.

On the other hand, another of the complications that go hand in hand with this problem is the fact that those who suffer from it in their own flesh tend to feel misunderstood.

After weeks in which the general climate has been one of wanting to be able to go out freely and reopen businesses as usual, feeling anxious at the prospect of going back to work seems eccentric, or even a sign of weakness, too delicate. However, the emotional imbalance really exists, and there are reasons to take it seriously wherever it appears.

To do?

These are some tips that you can follow if you think you are afraid of returning to work at the end of the confinement due to the pandemic.

1. Maintain discipline in sleep schedules

It is very important to do everything possible that anxiety does not make us sleep less than what our body needs. This will greatly increase our predispositions to develop more psychological problems of an emotional nature, and Furthermore, in a matter of a few days of getting little sleep, it will significantly affect our performance.

Set a schedule for what time you should be in bed with the lights off, and stick to it in a disciplined manner. Also, for a few hours before that time of day arrives, do not expose yourself to situations that maintain a high activity in your nervous system: neither exercise, nor be exposed to a lot of light or many sounds, to be able to be.

• You may be interested in: "The 7 main sleep disorders"

2. Practice relaxation exercises

To keep fear, anxiety and the emotional states associated with them at bay, it is very useful to practice relaxation exercises. It will only take a few minutes to do it., and you can find audios that serve as guidelines both in Youtube videos and in mobile applications.

3. Practice exposition exercises in the imagination

One way to face situations that scare us is to close our eyes and recreate in our imagination what it is like to expose ourselves to what we fear. It is best to do some tests first to practice the way you will imagine everything as vividly as possible, to then go imagining situations that generate more and more anxiety, following a difficulty curve that gradually rises.

4. Take care of yourself

If our body isn't right, our emotional balance won't be either. Get moderate exercise to keep your mind active and able to "disengage" from those fears, and eat good so that your body is better able to face stress-generating situations without suffering great wear and tear.

5. If you need it, go to the psychologist

Every person is different, and some may need to have the personalized help of a psychologist who follows their case. The good news is that anxiety-related psychological disturbances are relatively easy to treat.

Do you need the help of a psychologist?

As we have seen, the fact of feeling fear when going back to work contains many variables and is a complex phenomenon.

Therefore, if you notice that in your case these tips are not enough, you think that the situation is beyond you and you need to have professional support from a psychologist, Get in touch with me. I am a psychologist specialized in the cognitive-behavioral model and I can help you develop your emotional management skills; I attend both in person and through online sessions by video call. To see my contact information, go to this page.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Pan American.
• Barlow, D.H. (2000). Unraveling the mysteries of anxiety and its disorders from the perspective of emotion theory. The American Psychologist. 55 (11): p. 1247 - 1263.
• Nestadt, G.; Samuels, J.; Riddle, M.A.; Liang, K.I. et al. (2001). The relationship between obsessive–compulsive disorder and anxiety and affective disorders: results from the Johns Hopkins OCD Family Study. Psychological Medicine 31.