Today, dubbed 'Freedom Day' by many, is a big one for us all - as the government have now done away with pretty much all of the COVID-related restrictions. Wearing a face mask is no longer a legal requirement (but is still heavily encouraged and could be made mandatory in some places - Tesco, for example, have asked that all customers keep wearing a mask in stores if they can).
From today onwards, there will no longer be a rule-of-six to observe and milestone life events, such as weddings and funerals, won't have to factor in a heavily restricted guest list. Nightclubs, many for the first time in eighteen months, will also be reopening their doors and encouraging punters to get back on the dance floor. Offices are set to get busier again, too.
If all of the above sounds less than exciting to you, but rather more concerning or worrisome, then that's entirely normal. As a nation, we've collectively been through some (excuse the French) heavy psychological shit over the past couple of years, and with the number of Covid cases on the rise again (however the number resulting in hospitalisation isn't, thanks to the vaccine rollout), it's totally natural if you're not jumping for joy.
There are also people who cannot receive the vaccine, or who are immunocompromised and still at risk of falling severely unwell if they catch coronavirus, and it's important to keep those folk in mind, too.
While it's impossible to pin down a fixed amount of time that it'll take before feeling 'normal' again, Dr Meg Arroll, Healthspan's resident Chartered Psychologist has some very interesting thoughts on the subject. "I tend not to refer to any human experience as 'normal' or 'abnormal' – whatever someone feels is valid for them, and when we take the time to peek below the surface to understand our emotional world, it always makes sense," she explains. "Therefore, if we’re feeling anxious or nervous at the prospect of [Covid rules] ending, it’s useful for us to unpick why this may be."
Dr Arroll adds that by now, we're probably (although it may not feel that way on the surface) quite used to this alternative way of pandemic living, "Transitions commonly cause psychological growing pains, where our minds and neural networks try to hold onto our well-known habits in an effort to provide a sense of certainty."
She also says that it's common to struggle with big changes (such as... living through a pandemic and then resuming life afterwards), "This is why habits can be so hard to change – we often talk about habit change with regard to health behaviours (e.g. new exercise, eating or sleep habits) and we know quite a lot about the barriers and aids to this. What’s happened over the past year has essentially been a naturalistic observational study in behaviour change, on a global scale – and if we take something from the trauma and loss that has been experienced, learnings from this time should be top of the list."
And as for a rough timescale? Dr Arroll says, "We know that on average it takes 66 days for an old habit to be replaced by a new one, but this varies between individuals considerably from 18 to 254 days. What this tells us is that for most people, the behaviours imposed by lockdowns will now be embedded and new neural connections have been made to support these habits. So it will take time once again to readjust."
She adds that it's a positive thing that our route out of lockdown is a gradual one, as that's exactly what psychologists would suggest for anyone feeling concerned about embarking on a behaviour change programme, or if they’re feeling anxious about being back in the open world. "We call this graded exposure therapy," Dr Arroll notes. "And I would propose that anyone who is feeling uncomfortable about the end of lockdown should follow the guidelines and use these progressive steps to re-establish new behavioural patterns."
For example, from today onwards, you could see who’d like to meet safely in a small group of three in your local area and then build your daily activities and socialising up steadily - at your own pace.
"If, however, during this process you begin to have some physical signs of anxiety such as heart palpitations, dizziness and light-headedness or tummy problems, feel a sense of overwhelming dread or indeed panic attacks, it would be worth checking in with your internal dialogue to see if any catastrophic or other distorted thought patterns are playing in your mind," she recommends.
"Cognitive behavioural therapy can help with this, as well as progressive relaxation exercises, diaphragmatic breathing and products that contain CBD oil which have been shown to reduce the symptoms of social anxiety."
So there we have it: it could take anywhere from a couple of months, to 250-odd days (possibly even longer) to feel calm and 'normal' (note the inverted commas) again. So remember, if you're feeling pressured into socialising in big groups, or hitting a club before you're ready, it's totally fine to tell your friends you're rolling at a slower speed. ❤️
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
