It certainly must be true that our species does not cope well with change. Uncertainty alarms us. And now that we have some of those denied “rights” reinstated, they scare us. Masking, distancing, working from home have become habits. Now what?

Back in the formative days on the savannah, when humans ventured into unfamiliar territory, their brains were on high alert. It was the fight, flight or freeze approach to dealing with danger. Those were the choices.

Now we have all sorts of social workers, therapists, and assorted medical specialists, many who have published self-help books on dealing with change, who give advice:

• Set your boundaries before you venture into new venues. Announce them to your audience, be they family, friends, or work associates. And be prepared to get some push-back from those people. You may lose the battle but win the war.
• Reassure your brain you are safe: you have been vaccinated as are your acquaintances and family members. Deep breathing, yoga, or meditation works. Imagining what the new future holds, AKA curiosity, also can be useful.
• Look at the positive side of things. After all, the whole point of reentering society is to make progress; if not, why do it at all? Plan on having fun. Put your brain into the three-step reward system: 1) See yourself meeting friends and having a pleasant time. 2) Savor the encounter itself as it happens. 3) Recall the memory later and plan to do more.
• Relish what you have learned from the past year: You may have developed some pastimes you formerly did not have time for. Now plan to set time aside to do them. Think of them as your personal “care plan.”

And welcome back to life.