AAC
WELLNESS & SAFETY
What is normal after COVID-19?
W
e have vaccines. Restrictions have been and continue to be lifted. We are returning to normal. Or are we? It seems like our thoughts and emotions are all over the page. I got my vaccine, but why do I still feel anxious? Do I need to continue to wear a mask when so many are not? I spent the last year developing all these habits to keep me safe. How do I just quit? I want to live in a post-COVID world, but am I ready? There is no doubt that our mental health has taken a hit over the last year or more. If you ever studied psychology at all, you may have heard of Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs. For the last year we have been stuck in the first two levels of that pyramid, which address our basic needs of food, water, warmth, rest, safety, and security. I visited with Maggie Young and Allison Atkinson from Southwest EAP (SWEAP) about mental health concerns as society reopens. One of the first things they said was that when you transition back to that hierarchy of needs, many of us pushed aside a lot of anxiety during the last year as we tried to survive this unknown territory. Now that some amount of “normalcy” is returning, that anxiety that we pushed aside is returning, and it can feel overwhelming. As our county offices move forward in this reopening process, whatever that looks like in your county, there is one thing that our SWEAP friends told me that we must remember. Not one of your coworkers, citizens that come into your offices, nor any friend, family member, or person you meet on the street has had the same experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have lost friends and family to the disease, some have not. Some got the virus and had terrible symptoms that may have put them in the hospital. Some got the virus and had few or no symptoms at all. Some were not able to see family in longterm care facilities for months on end. Some had babies, surgeries, or other hospital stay unrelated to COVID and were not able to have anyone with them. The scenarios are endless. We must acknowledge that the people with whom we come in contact have a very different “pandemic story” than we do. We can not dismiss that fact. Moving forward, we must lead with compassion. NBC’s Lester Holt ends every Nightly News broadcast with these words, “Take care of yourself and each other.” In looking specifically at our county offices, that is important advice to follow. In our conversation, our SWEAP friends said, “Remember anxiety presents differently in each employee and in each workplace. Every employee’s experience was different over the last year, therefore they are bringing different struggles.” In COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2021
an effort to be more aware of our own emotional state and our coworkers, SWEAP says these are some general signs of employees who are struggling: • Withdrawal • Avoiding interpersonal situations • Irritability • Inconsistent work output • Absenteeism
Becky Comet AAC Member Benefits Manager
If you are in a supervisory position, SWEAP suggests remembering that any significant change in performance or behavior may be something to keep an eye on. The more we are talking to and supporting our employees, the more likely we are to notice issues that may become more severe over time. After all, we know our employees best, so we are the best people to look out for them. Another topic I discussed with Maggie and Allison was office COVID policies. They had a couple of recommendations. Whether your policies — mask wearing, temperature checks, time off flexibility, etc. — have remained the same since the beginning of the pandemic or have relaxed recently, make sure that everyone knows the policies and follows them. Consistency in establishing and enforcing policies will help everyone. Those responsible for enforcement must do so across the board. If they do not, it puts the burden and anxiety on the employees. SWEAP has some helpful information available on their website at www.southwesteap.com. Under their “COVID Resource Center” icon I found some enlightening articles on various topics to help us through our maze of emotions during this extraordinary time. For example, “How to Cultivate Resilience in Times of Change” and “Finding the Next Normal” were two of my favorites. They have explanations of why we may feel the way we do and recommendations on moving forward. Check out the articles. You may find some that speak to you more than the ones that spoke to me. If you or anyone in your office is struggling with COVID reopening issues or if you have any mental health matters you would like to discuss, our partners at SWEAP are ready, willing, and exceptionally able to help. They can address a host of issues. Call and ask how your county can receive their services as an additional employee benefit. 501.663.1797 or 1.800.777.1797. 23
