Fear and Loathing in Public Settings, Post-Quarantine Stress

How did things get to this point? Ah, yes, a pandemic ensues, we’re quarantined to keep us safe, and some people decide that we should just ignore the fact that we’re still, heavily, in the middle of a pandemic, and pretend germs are not prevalent… everywhere!

OK, I (Shannon) most definitely have a fear of public, social, settings at this point. Has my germaphobe demeanor risen to new levels? Levels in which, I may not come back from? Having eaten meals prepped by our own hands for months now with a couple of occasional take-out meals, we have had the fortunate opportunity to work from home, quarantined to our yard, our inflatable pool, and secluded neighborhood to walk, in beautiful settings by the water, and stay far away from everyone.

Don’t get me wrong… I miss my family and friends. I miss traveling. I miss dining out. I miss random road trips to various locations, trying out new breweries, vineyards, engaging with people. Most of all, I miss my neices’ “run and jumping in to my arms”, hugs. Yet, I still have this fear, and loathe the fact that we are going to start going back out again soon, with the COVID-19 numbers on the rise again. I’m not sure how to maneuver to the social-Shannon I was, just a few months ago. It’s nerve-racking, and yet I can see that this fear has a tendency to turn into something much worse if we don’t just take baby steps, and just do the best we can – wearing masks, washing our hands, not touching our faces, and just being super clean and careful.

The fear doesn’t really come from our own personal habits. I seriously just doubt that everyone else is taking these same precautions. It seems most people aren’t wearing masks. I don’t get it. What am I missing? I’m supposed to be susceptible to your germs because you don’t want to wear a mask? Don’t even get me started with the ones who use, not wearing a mask as a political statement. Ugh! In the words of Bruce Springsteen, “Wear the fucking mask!”

Look, at the end of the day, we all want to get back to normal, or our new normal, so let’s just do what we can and take precautions. Let’s social distance, wear the damn masks, and keep your hands clean.

In the meantime, we’re going to do what we can to reduce this fear to a healthy level, and hope that we can flatten this curve in our state, so that our Christmas/New Year trip to Paris is in tact!

How are you managing your fear about going back out, post-quarantine? Please share!