With COVID-19 vaccines becoming more widely available and mask mandates lifting, a new source of anxiety has emerged for some returning to the office after more than a year of working from home.
“It’s a lot like kids returning to school after summer break, but it’s intensified because many people have been at home for almost a year and a half,” says Kelly Sopchak, a psychologist with the Texas A&M University Health Telebehavioral Care Program.
As employees transition back to working in offices and students return to schools, stress and anxiety levels will be elevated.
Sopchak says there are way to navigate the change in stride: