When you think about going to a gathering, walking into a room full of people, how do you feel? Tense…nervous…?

People are getting vaccinated. It’s highly likely, if you’ve had both vaccine injections, that you may be invited to an July 4th gathering of friends and family who’ve also been vaccinated. Can you imagine? How long has it been since you were invited to a backyard barbecue? Would you feel excited to go? Or would you find yourself feeling a bit nervous about it? You may have struggled with social anxiety for years, or you may be one of the new breed who never felt socially uncomfortable until the COVID-19 pandemic kept you socially distanced for a year and a half. Pandemic-induced social anxiety is an emerging real problem for so many.

A study recently published in Lancet Psychiatry found that about 1/3 of COVID-19 survivors suffer from long term brain disorders. They looked at 236,000 who were diagnosed with the coronavirus over a six month period. Turns out that 34% display neurological or psychiatric disorders. Of those, 13% had never suffered from these before.

They found that those who had survived the COVID infection were at increased risk for brain disorders. Psychiatric disorders. Neurological disorders.

So you have to ask yourself…should that be a surprise? Over a year of keeping to yourself, seeing no one in person except for your own household. If you live alone, that’s a long time to be isolated. And when you’re around strangers, at the grocery store, for example… Everyone is wearing a mask and you can’t tell if anyone is smiling or not. The world can become a drab place.

At the very best, the last 14 months have been disruptive, challenging, and alarming. Routines have been tossed out the window, normal interactions with friends, family, acquaintances, and co-workers have all but stopped. Major conferences, gatherings, and events were cancelled.

In short, we’ve all adapted to a different way of living. And little by little, life is going to change again. And eventually, we’ll be changing to a world with lower risk. But not yet.

That’s quite a jump from the way it used to be, when we’d say, “Of course we’ll be there! What can I bring?”

Because on some level, we humans need some social interaction. Until the pandemic, we naturally chose the amount of interaction — and the type — that fit most comfortably.

But now it’s harder. Scarier. And the stakes are higher. Add to that the nagging feeling that people around you are probably judging you… harshly.

If you never tasted social anxiety before now, you probably had no idea what it’s like. But now, people who have developed social anxiety from the restraints, isolation, and precautions of the pandemic are experiencing that horrid feeling themselves for the first time. And, that feeling feels real.

When you’re in the throes of it, you are acknowledging as truth the FACT that everyone in the room is appalled by your appearance or behavior and they’re ALL judging you and verbalizing it to the person next to them. You believe that feeling.

You know what?

And just like social anxiety probably didn’t go away on its own when there was no pandemic… it may not go away on its own now.

It may be that you can slowly help yourself adjust to the new reality and give yourself time to resolve it, or you may have to take intentional steps.

By treating yourself with compassion, you may find you can identify the scenarios that stir up anxiety for you, and not force yourself to do too much too soon. Determine to be your own best friend. Give yourself credit for baby steps. Maybe coffee with a friend, or taking a walk with a neighbor. As you find yourself comfortable in these smaller situations, then you can increase your exposure as you feel ready. Lunch with two friends. Dinner with a friend, relative, or co-worker you really like!

Because, if you’re paying attention to what pumps up anxiety for you, then you probably realize that dinner with someone you don’t like is unnecessary stress this early in your recovery … or maybe we should say …this early in your re-entry.

We can all expect to see people jumping into public places, parties, dinners, ball games, just as soon as it’s possible, but that doesn’t mean you should do the same.

A friend who lives in Texas where restrictions have been lifted, stopped in a popular restaurant recently to get takeout for her family. She expected the restaurant to be practically empty, but to her surprise it was packed, with a full waiting room!

She knew that ALL those people weren’t vaccinated. And most weren’t even wearing masks.

This illustrates how much the general public may be chomping at the bit to get out and about again, whether it’s wise or not.

That being said, there are probably plenty of people pressuring friends to go with them to public places. And those pressured invitations may be just one more way this re-entry environment stirs up anxiety for you.

Don’t put yourself through that. BE PATIENT with yourself, and stand up for yourself when others are moving ahead faster than you’re comfortable.

Take it slow and do what’s best for YOU.

By limiting your face-to-face interaction to only vaccinated people, you’ll automatically reduce your own anxiety to some degree because you know you’re safe. Pandemic-induced social anxiety may be daunting, but you choose what you’re ready for day by day.

And if these outings continue to be difficult, talk to someone you trust. Whether it’s a family member, or a close friend, or a therapist, it can just help you to relax about the issue to say it out loud. It can help you feel more normal. And will possibly help reduce anxiety, too.

Finally, we have to address the question, “What if this anxiety doesn’t get better? What can I do?”

If you’ve found you’re gripped inside every time you go out, and it never seems to get better in spite of all you’ve tried, you may be a candidate for IV ketamine treatment.

Ketamine is that mild-mannered anesthesia medicine that wears a cape and leaps tall buildings in a single bound when it’s applied to treatment resistant depression, social anxiety, PTSD, bipolar depression, substance use disorders, and suicidal thinking.

(I just couldn’t resist.)

It has helped many of those who have received it to achieve remission. Because IV ketamine treatment is not one of those meds that just, you know, takes the edge off symptoms. Rather, it either doesn’t help someone… or it transforms them to a joyful, hopeful person with a new lease on life.

And while ketamine treatment isn’t for everyone, it helps such a large percentage of the patients we treat that chances are good it will transform your life, too.

At Innovative Psychiatry, we want to make your IV ketamine treatment give you the best it’s got. So we’ve worked out methods and protocols to give you the most personalized titrated dose and rate available.

We also have invested in a state-of-the-art system for destroying viruses, bacteria, and molds in the air and on hard and soft surfaces to protect you and keep you safe from infection like COVID, influenza, and even pollen. Your focus needs to be squarely aimed at getting better, without the worry of contagious disease. We want you to feel safe.

With that said, if you’re still sitting squarely in the midst of your anxiety, call us.

Everything we do all boils down to our primary focus of seeing you get better, and live well with joy and purpose.

Our patients each represent a wonderful story of restoration and resilience. We want to see your story join theirs.

With only one life you get to live, it’s worth the effort to find the path for your best life.

We’re here and look forward to hearing from you.

To the restoration of your best self,

Lori Calabrese, MD

loricalabresemd

When you think about going to a gathering, walking into a room full of people, how do you feel? Tense…nervous…?

At the very best, the last 14 months have been disruptive, challenging, and alarming. Routines have been tossed out the window, normal interactions with friends, family, acquaintances, and co-workers have all but stopped. Major conferences, gatherings, and events were cancelled.

For now: do you suffer from pandemic-induced social anxiety?

It comes in all sorts of forms. We ask ourselves, has he been wearing a mask consistently? Does she practice social distancing? And we still need support.

There are also those who have dealt with social anxiety for years, so this isolation was easier to adjust to. Until it got old. While theirs isn’t pandemic-induced social anxiety, theirs has likely been exacerbated by the pandemic.