For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2 - 11

weeks have passed, we have formed new routines
and become comfortable in the new normal of
working at home. Busy kids running in while you
are on a video conference - or, in my case, a very
nosy Great Dane's head invading the camera's view
during a video conference - have become part of
the slightly more casual experience of working from
home.
We have such an innate capacity of adaptation;
it is honed into our biology. As human beings, we
quickly formulate routines or rituals. A colleague of
mine shared that since working from home, he takes
a walk each day with his wife at lunch. Such simple
gestures can decompress us from the work we do
and knit us closer to our loved ones, engendering
support and greater connection. I find myself often
responding to email at that time of day in the yard
while enjoying a little quiet time with nature; it is
certainly refreshing, and not something I would have
even thought about when in the office. This deeply
rooted mechanism to adapt within our humanity
is alive and well and fully on display in the varied
new routines and actions we have taken to take
ownership of working at home. I believe these
actions are particularly healthy and help us find
meaning in our experiences, whether routine or new.
We have now been staying home for a month or
so and it has become our "normal." A friend joked
with me recently that he has not worn a suit for over
a month, it is the longest time he has been in casual
clothing in 30 years. We have endured many changes,
and some of them fondly. Truly, we have come to
experience working at home as "normal" and, in
some aspects, dare I say, pleasurable. Being the
adaptive creatures we are, we have accommodated
these changes into our experience. Hence, just
as leaving our offices was disruptive and anxiety
provoking, ending our full-time endeavor of working
at home will also come with some angst.
The new change, returning to the office, will usher
us into yet another "new normal." One might think,
but isn't this what we have been waiting for? There
is nothing new here! Quite to the contrary! Despite
returning to the same rooms and furniture, we will
be entering a world requiring a new set of practices
in office life. New expectations and rules will color
this transition as we continue to live in the shadow
of our existing fears and trepidation of infection or
exposure to COVID-19. Our new transition will likely
take longer than our abrupt transition to work at
home. So, it is likely that we will feel discomfort,
upset, even loss of a calmer, more controlled, lifestyle
at home. Stress and depression are also common
with such change, even if that change is desired or
necessary. Change is hard and often accompanied

by feelings of loss, irritability, resentment, or, at
minimum, anxiety or discontent.
For some of our colleagues, getting back to the
office may be accompanied by a panic to catch up,
rebuild, etc. It is very likely that just as it was scary to
lock the office doors in March, opening them once
again will likely be met with new fears and anxieties.
Such reactions should be expected, and the cure is in
doing more of the self-care in which you are currently
engaging. Talk to friends and colleagues about the
change. Take breaks, walk, engage in breathing
exercises, meditation, or mindfulness exercises. Try
relaxing music with nature sounds, it is better than
chocolate.
For many of us, we will, in some respects, miss our
current normal with the additional "free time" and
fewer demands it has brought us. It is equally likely
that we will miss our families, the routines, having
lunch, taking a walk, etc. These are normal and
ordinary reactions to extraordinary situations. Let us
remember that we have not seen anything like this
in this country for over 100 years. These are truly
extraordinary times. Normalizing and recognizing the
discomfort in adjusting, yet again, to a new normal,
will help bridge the gap. Collectively, we will all be
returning to work as if we are experiencing our first
day back from a long vacation; but, we will return to
an environment in which the rules have changed and
the danger of COVID-19 infection remains present to
be attended to and managed.
With experts telling us we are nearing a plateauing
of the COVID-19 growth curve, the likelihood of
our return to office-based working is closer than
farther away. We will rely on civil authorities and the
experts to determine that timeline and in our own
individual tolerances for risk to follow suit. However,
whenever it occurs, this transition, which will likely
be somewhat more gradual than our departure, will
not deliver us back to our previous lives. Given what
we now know, and what is amply available through
the CDC and most news channels, we should not
anticipate returning to meeting over lunch, coffee
with a friend, drinks after work, or going to the gym.
Even in conversations with our closest colleagues, we
will have to maintain social distancing.
According to the CDC and the WHO, social
distancing remains our only tool in defending against
infection and the spread of COVID-19. Until effective
treatments and vaccines have ultimately been
approved and made available, we continue to remain
at risk for this infection and its mortal ramifications.
COVID-19 has brought upon us immense and
sweeping changes. These changes will likely be a

Vol. 5, Issue 2 l For The Defense

11
For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of For the Defense - Vol. 5, Issue 2
