{"id":112757,"date":"2021-03-11T13:14:33","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T19:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/?p=112757"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:57:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:57:35","slug":"mark-the-pandemics-anniversary-by-preparing-for-the-new-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/news\/mark-the-pandemics-anniversary-by-preparing-for-the-new-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark the pandemic\u2019s anniversary by preparing for the \u201cnew normal\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES (MARCH 10, 2021)<\/strong> \u2014 March 11th marks a year of living with fear and uncertainty because of COVID-19. Our lives were changed, and for many of us, those changes were dramatic. A year later, as many cities reopen or cautiously prepare to reopen, there are signs we may not return to what used to be “normal.”<\/p>\n

Licensed psychologist and president of The Chicago School<\/a>, Michele Nealon, Psy.D. offers advice to help prepare for the \u201cnew normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the one thing we can be certain of is that our lives will not go back to the normal we were used to before the pandemic,\u201d explained Dr. Nealon<\/a>. \u201cThe uncertainty around what the new normal will look like can be scary, but if we think about it, we\u2019ve learned a lot during this time. We can mark this anniversary by remembering and leveraging what we\u2019ve learned, so we can get ready for what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Nealon offers the following guidance to help prepare for the next stage.<\/p>\n

Remember that mental health is as important as physical health. <\/strong>COVID-19 took a toll on our mental health. The uncertainty and loss of normalcy caused stress and anxiety for everyone. Implementing self-care practices helped some, but a lot of us needed more and reached out for professional help. Continue to prioritize your mental health.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Embrace the unknown. <\/strong>Accept that change is always going to happen, we don\u2019t know what we don\u2019t know and there are some things we have no control over. Acceptance can bring peace of mind.<\/p>\n

Set realistic expectations. <\/strong>You can\u2019t plan for or control everything \u2013 cut yourself some slack and be realistic about the possibility of getting some things right and some things wrong.<\/p>\n

Establish timeframes. <\/strong>Think forward to a certain date and sketch out what you might need to accomplish between now and then.<\/p>\n

Know that burnout is a bigger factor now<\/strong>. The pandemic proved how quickly we can become mentally and physically depleted. Learn how to recognize early signs of it and practice prevention.<\/p>\n

Grieve when you need to.<\/strong> Death is not the only loss worth grieving. We can grieve the loss of control, security and safety, time, and the rituals to celebrate milestones. Grieving these things are normal and necessary for moving forward.<\/p>\n

Realize that you can manage re-entry anxiety. <\/strong>Experiencing anxiety or nervousness about going out into a changed world is normal and it can be managed so that we are able to accept change and function.<\/p>\n

Cultivate adaptability<\/strong>. Adaptability can be learned and is a great coping skill in times of change. Use it during this new normal where change will still be a factor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYet another transitional chapter is coming for all of us,\u201d said Dr. Nealon. \u201cWe should allow ourselves to start thinking about that and preparing for it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more resources, go to: www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight<\/a><\/p>\n

MEDIA CONTACT:
\nVictor Abalos
\nvabalos@thechicagoschool.edu
\n818.321.5371<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES (MARCH 10, 2021) \u2014 March 11th marks a year of living with fear and uncertainty because of COVID-19. Our lives were changed, and for many of us, those changes were dramatic. A year later, as many cities reopen or cautiously prepare to reopen, there are signs we may not return to what used to be “normal.” Licensed psychologist and president of The Chicago School, Michele Nealon, Psy.D. offers advice to help prepare for the \u201cnew normal.\u201d \u201cI think […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":112759,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1073],"class_list":["post-112757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","insight_authors-the-chicago-school"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMark the pandemic\u2019s anniversary by preparing for the \u201cnew normal\u201d - Insight Digital Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The pandemic's anniversary is an opportunity to leverage what we've learned to prepare for the "new normal."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/news\/mark-the-pandemics-anniversary-by-preparing-for-the-new-normal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mark the pandemic\u2019s anniversary by preparing for the \u201cnew normal\u201d - 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