Millions of Americans are outside again on this Memorial Day, after a year sheltering indoors whenever they could. CNN Health reports nearly two million traveled through airports, and this was a record since the pandemic officially began.
Memorial Day is when Americans honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. We remember also the over 3,600 health workers who died from COVID, serving their nation faithfully too.
But We Are Still Dealing With the Emotional Impacts
COVID-19 deaths of people we knew, or we read about created shadows of trauma, a clinical psychologist told CNN Health. Things may look more normal now, Dr. Jeff Gardere continued, but COVID-19 really changed our lives. We all have these shadows in the back of minds, although they may be deep down in an act of denial.
‘It’s a whole year of staying indoors, and now you come outside everybody is out riding their bikes, jogging, exercising, partying,’ KerryAnn McGregor, a Miami Beach visitor, told CNN. ‘It’s OK now,’ she insisted. But Dr. Jeff Gardere has a different take. Making the shift to a more normal life might not be so simple for many others, he said.
Deeper Down Returning to Normal After a Year Indoors
‘We had gotten ourselves into a very safe bubble,’ the clinical psychologist explained. ‘But now it kind of feels like the rug was pulled out from under our feet.’ Returning to normal after a year indoors is not always easy for everyone.
Especially for people who are quite fearful of returning back to the workplace, or back to school. ‘People are having anxiety’ he told CNN Health reporter Madeline Holcombe.
Dr. Jeff Gardere suggests confronting this anxiety with what he calls ‘health coping mechanisms’. He recommends meditation, breathing, peer support and counseling. ‘Each day you confront that anxiety, the better off you will be,’ he believes.
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Preview Image: You Can Step Outside
