Enter a new world where we no longer look or feel the same. Since we’re taking small steps into our brand nouveau monde, we’re starting to notice that even though we’re back, we still feel different — the norm has been displaced. Are we loving being locked up? Is the outside world making us anxious? What do we expect from this ‘new world’?
Quarantine Emotional Baggage
Quarantine was great for most of us, we started feeling more confident and skilful, we discovered new highs & lows about ourselves — but was that only because we were alone and protected from the outside world? We didn’t have much to compare ourselves to, we didn’t face awkward encounters or embarrassing moments in public. We didn’t feel lonely in a crowded room or failed at something utterly. We were protected from all these emotional distress. For so long, we’ve only been at war with ourselves, until eventually we made peace and called a truce. What happened when we go back to the new world? Will our confidence remain with us, or will we be greeted with a brand new welcome of emotional baggage?
Post-Pandemic Insecurities
We’ve been embracing our curly hair, wearing little to no make up & indulging in our favourite foods and Netflix shows. Day by day, we got used to being isolated. How will we go back? Will we compare ourselves to everyone that accomplished 7 new languages during quarantine while most of us were trying to get by without diving deep into depression? Will we start to think of ourselves less when we notice how behind we are because instead of skin care, we felt intoxicated by the walls surrounding us? Will we start to see ourselves through the eyes of others instead of seeing our own reflections in the mirror?
Emotional Distancing
I’ve always been a lover of connecting with people, whether they’re close friends, strangers or even people I’ve only met once or twice before. I love running into someone and having a spontaneous conversation about anything in particular. In a span of 3 months, we’ve gotten used to phone calls and texts and digitising our human connections. Let’s face it, it’s much easier to text someone than it is to go out for a cup of coffee or for an activity that doesn’t allow you to multitask a conversation. It’s easy to type that you’re depressed than it is to confide in someone that you trust with raw emotions.
We’re all getting used to only worrying about ourselves. We wake up and work online, the only thing we’re concerned with is how we’re feeling because we don’t see our teammates. We can’t know if they’re doing okay or not. A video meeting on zoom is just as exhausting as being a tv host on a bad day, it feels fake. Now that we’re going back to our ways, will we have any compassion at all? Will we ever go back to caring and thoughtfulness?
Elaf Trabulsi 