With the gradual return to on-campus work and the start of in-person fall quarter classes, there is an adjustment for everyone ahead.

Activities that were upended with the start of the pandemic 18 months ago 鈥� commuting, spending time with friends, sharing common spaces, being around so many more people at once 鈥� are resuming, sort of. Just not the way that some had hoped or expected. Now, with the delta variant thwarting the retreat of COVID-19, how do we approach this not-quite-back-to-normal beginning of fall?

91探花 psychology professor Jane Simoni specializes in health interventions and coping with the stress of chronic illness. When it comes to going back, she said that people tend to fall into one of three camps: Those who cannot wait to get back to routines and, ideally, pre-pandemic life; those who found, and want to hold onto, some silver linings of remote work and instruction; and those who have embraced their new way of living and want to leave the 鈥渂efore times鈥� behind. No matter how you feel, it鈥檚 important to be patient with yourself and others, Simoni said.

鈥淲hether you find yourself in the camp of people excited to be going back, or dreading going back, or somewhere in the middle, there are things we can do to make this transition more manageable,鈥� she said.

Start by recognizing that life isn鈥檛 totally back to normal and by acknowledging how you鈥檙e feeling now.

People are experiencing a range of strong emotions now, Simoni said: overwhelmed, sad, disappointed, anxious, afraid. Grief, perhaps, over the past year and a half: the loved ones lost to COVID-19; the milestones traditionally marked in person, such as weddings, funerals, graduations. They may be anxious and fearful over which routines to resume and be feeling frustration and disappointment over the seemingly endless cycles of the pandemic. Some people may be feeling hopeless that the pandemic will ever end.

These feelings are understandable. This is normal now, and you鈥檙e not alone in your pain. If you are truly struggling 鈥� 鈥渄istressed to the point that you鈥檙e not able to function,鈥� Simoni said 鈥� it鈥檚 important to seek help. Too much or too little sleep, losing or gaining significant amounts of weight, an inability to take care of responsibilities, or thoughts of hurting yourself 鈥� all are and perhaps seek professional help .

But there are things everyone can do to help cope with this unique situation, Simoni said, and to make the transition to in-person routines a little less daunting:

Set realistic expectations. Realize that things aren鈥檛 going to be exactly as they were before. It may take time to get used to being around people again. People will need to find their own comfort level; have patience, compromise for others, and respond with grace. If you have a choice, start gradually. For example, if you have trepidation about being around groups of people, take breaks. Maybe you attend a class, but then you have a quiet lunch on your own. Eventually, as you have more of these 鈥渘ew鈥� experiences, they will get easier.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like learning to ride a bike again, in that it鈥檚 familiar, but you still may fall once in a while,鈥� Simoni said.

Protect yourself, which can help mitigate anxiety. If you鈥檙e anxious about the virus, get accurate information about . Get vaccinated, wear a mask, meet others outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces when possible, and wash hands frequently. People vary in the level of risk they will tolerate, but remember there really is no such thing as zero risk, Simoni said.

Focus on the positive. Think about silver linings, large or small, you have experienced in the past 18 months. And be generous in your definition of 鈥渟ilver linings.鈥� Did you spend more quality time with family or a pod of friends? Did you start new traditions, like Zoom reunions or get-togethers with long-distance loved ones, or a weekly game night with friends or neighbors? Maybe you saved money by not making the usual purchases on clothes, eating out or commuting. Maybe you had more time for other activities or reevaluated what you want to be doing for work or school. Maybe you took stock of your relationships. Whatever you did, Simoni said, build on these things going forward.

Cultivate appreciation. and what you appreciate about them. These should be very specific events or experiences. Come up with three new things each day, and focus your attention on them, rather than ruminating on the things that bother you.

Practice the fundamentals of good mental health:

• Practice good 鈥渟leep hygiene鈥�: Get the right amount of sleep (7-10 hours) and go to bed and rise at the same times each day
• Stay hydrated, and eat enough healthful foods each day. Your nutrition can affect your mood.
• Go outside. Connect with nature and remind yourself that there鈥檚 more to life than a desk or computer screen.
• Stay active. Whether it鈥檚 swimming or hiking, running or yoga, movement boosts energy and mood.
• Connect with other people. If it can be done safely, in-person connection is best, Simoni said, but the phone has its benefits, too, and can be a nice break from video chats. 鈥淲e missed a lot of social interactions over the past year, the conversation in the hallway, the catch-up or hug after a meeting. Your dog can鈥檛 provide that type of support for you.鈥�
• Be mindful of changes in your substance use. , as people started consuming earlier in the day, and more often. Relying on substances can interfere with successfully coping with stress, Simoni said. Monitor what you鈥檙e doing and cut back as needed, seeking help if necessary.

鈥淪tigma around substance use and mental health problems can be a barrier to addressing these issues and getting help,鈥� Simoni said, 鈥渂ut if you can face these challenges head-on and get help early, you鈥檒l be better off in the long run.鈥�

For more information, contact Simoni at jsimoni@uw.edu.

A year into the pandemic, with COVID-19 vaccines increasingly available and restrictions lifting on many businesses and activities, a return to normalcy appears on the horizon.

But we have to learn how to be 鈥渘ormal鈥� again, said 91探花 psychology professor . 聽鈥淚t will be like learning how to ride a bike again — slowly and patiently. We have to show compassion and patience with ourselves, as we emerge from the lockdown at our own pace. For some, it might be hard to be around other people again at first. We鈥檒l have to relearn some things once we鈥檙e vaccinated 鈥� that you can hug people, for example, and your first instinct won鈥檛 be to turn away instead. That you can make plans with people 鈥� and take time to actually follow through with those plans.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be living with COVID-19 in some way for the foreseeable future. As we come to trust our safety and security, it will be easier to re-learn to be social and to congregate in groups.鈥�

Simoni has worked in the field of HIV research for much of her career, focusing on behavioral interventions that can help those living with HIV manage their illness.

The COVID-19 pandemic provides some parallels, Simoni said, in the ways people view a transmissible, potentially fatal virus: motivated by a fear of death and the desire for certainty and control. 鈥淵et certainty and control are two things we do not have in this pandemic,鈥� she said. 鈥淕uidelines and restrictions seem to change daily, and of course the virus itself is literally evolving.鈥�

On people鈥檚 desire for quick 鈥渇ixes鈥� to a health problem, such as a one-time medication or a vaccine, rather than prevention:

鈥淲ith all illnesses, there鈥檚 a search for an easy-to-understand, easy-to-execute, inexpensive solution 鈥� think of the bed net that can protect one from malaria-carrying mosquitoes. There isn鈥檛 necessarily anything wrong with looking for an easy fix. Some biomedical and tech solutions are easier to implement, because behavior is hard to change.

Look at HIV: Billions have been spent trying to get a vaccine, and we still don鈥檛 have one. 聽Meanwhile, the behavioral changes that could help prevent HIV are known but harder to implement, because they involve intimacy and human behavior and emotions.

However, even when we have the biomedical and technological solutions, there鈥檚 still human behavior involved. It鈥檚 not enough to have medications, we have to take them. It鈥檚 not enough to have a vaccine; we have to vaccinate.鈥�

On the value of positive public health messaging:

鈥淪ome public health messages involve scare tactics to discourage harmful behaviors such as smoking, using drugs or drinking and driving. It鈥檚 not that these approaches never work, but they often terrify people, push away the message and induce denialism. The more extreme reactions to COVID-19, such as the anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers, can be motivated by this denialism, fear and a desire to maintain their own freedom and control. An extreme variation of this denialism is the belief that the virus is a hoax.鈥�

Persuading people to get the COVID-19 vaccine 鈥� when they鈥檙e eligible 鈥� and to adhere to current public health guidance requires the right approach, Simoni said. 鈥淲e need to recognize people鈥檚 desire for agency in their own lives, and how following mitigation guidelines can help get that back. People want control in their life; they want to feel empowered. People generally like to have agency, and that鈥檚 gratifying at a very basic level. Our messages should focus on the positives 鈥� what鈥檚 possible 鈥� and not the prohibitions.鈥�

For more information, contact Simoni at jsimoni@uw.edu.

Months into the pandemic, as restrictions loosen and more people venture out, families and friends may confront differences over what鈥檚 necessary, safe or comfortable.

So many questions and choices: Attend a child鈥檚 birthday party? Host a backyard barbecue? Meet for a drink? Hug a relative?

Decline, and you risk hurt feelings; accept, and you may expose yourself and your loved ones to risk, increase the risk for your community, and feel judged by others in the process.

All are natural experiences during the pandemic, 91探花 psychologists say, but there are ways to approach interactions with friends and loved ones, and to reflect on your own feelings, that can provide a positive path forward and help maintain healthy relationships.

鈥淓ffective communication skills are key to navigating conflicts around COVID-related attitudes,鈥� said , a doctoral student in the 91探花Center for Anxiety & Traumatic Stress. Consider the goal for an interaction. Maybe you simply want to explain how you鈥檙e feeling, and that maintaining the friendship or relationship is the priority.

Rosencrans recommends speaking with a respectful tone and an easy manner, listening actively, with interest, and really trying to understand the other person鈥檚 point of view. Use humor when appropriate. Smile genuinely. Think of it as the 鈥渟oft sell鈥� approach, rather than the hard sell, he said.

Key to that approach is trying not to judge others for the decisions they feel are best for them, said , an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in the 91探花School of Medicine.

鈥淭hese things are going to differ greatly from person to person. A little empathy and understanding goes a long way,鈥� she said.

For example, everyone has a different level of risk at which they are comfortable, said psychology professor . People take 鈥渞easonable鈥� risks of all kinds every day, balancing a need or want with the possibility of rejection, loss or danger. Letting a newly licensed teenager drive the car, for example, can be considered a reasonable risk.

A deadly pandemic, of course, carries with it other risks. People face differing degrees of risk related to COVID-19, due to age, underlying health conditions and other factors. If someone believes they are less likely to suffer severe consequences from contracting coronavirus, then they may be more willing to take risks that expose themselves, noted Bedard-Gilligan.

The difficult conversations can arise when someone鈥檚 behavior endangers others, she added. Arguing or trying to engender fear is unlikely to work. You can attempt a rational discussion with that person, or focus instead on what you can control in your own life, and the behaviors and limits that work for you.

Following public health guidelines should be paramount, and doing whatever possible to minimize risk to the community, said , a 91探花research associate professor of psychology who鈥檚 leading both King County and national studies into how people are coping with the physical isolation of lockdown restrictions.

鈥淲hen we experience others not following guidelines, we have choices to make, and they鈥檙e not easy,鈥� Kanter said. 鈥淒o we feel a responsibility to speak up? Will we be effective, or just start an argument that won鈥檛 change behavior in any event? Do we have a handle on why we鈥檙e feeling what we鈥檙e feeling, and are we coming from a sense of values and purpose, or are we just reacting out of anger?鈥�

People are feeling a responsibility to step up because of a lack of leadership, but they don鈥檛 necessarily know how to be effective, or even why other people aren鈥檛 adhering to the guidelines.

Researchers say there could be more, and perhaps better, public health messaging to educate the public. Simoni, who specializes in community and health psychology, said that in the early years of the AIDS epidemic, solely disseminating information about the risks of HIV wasn鈥檛 enough. Public health interventions needed to promote not only the knowledge of what was necessary to stay safe, but also the motivation and skills needed to effectively change behaviors. This also had to be done at many levels: individuals, health providers and systems, and communities. Today, the mitigation strategies around coronavirus 鈥� the importance of wearing masks, testing and contact tracing 鈥� require the same coordination at the individual, health provider and community levels.

Fear and a lack of control tend to guide our responses, Simoni said.

鈥淭here are a variety of reasonable reactions to the pandemic. Try to have compassion and patience with other people. We share more in common than we think,鈥� she said.

In her own life right now, Simoni said, she feels comfortable playing tennis, but other tennis-playing friends don鈥檛. 鈥淲e all agreed not to judge each other. Everyone has to feel comfortable and supported in their choices,鈥� she said.

What about when the situation is more adversarial? Say you鈥檙e asking someone to change their behavior, or standing your ground.

Speak matter-of-factly, and nonjudgmentally, Rosencrans said. Be clear and direct about your feelings and beliefs about the situation; don鈥檛 assume the other person knows. Explicitly ask for what you want.

鈥淜eep the conversation focused on your goals,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut potentially be willing to negotiate, while also having a clear sense of your limits.鈥� In the end, focus on what works, and try not to let the desire to be 鈥渞ight鈥� on every point of disagreement get in the way of being effective.