The Seattle Times: Feeling anxiety about returning to the office? Read these tips
This Seattle Times story features one of our Self Space therapists in a discussion of the anxieties that can arise as we contemplate retuning to the office after being remote during COVID-19.
From “Feeling anxiety about returning to the office? Read these tips” by Michelle Baruchman in The Seattle Times.
Returning to an office setting and all that comes with it — bumper-to-bumper commute traffic, frustrating coworkers, left-behind family members at home — is understandably stressful for many whose pandemic-era routines are changing this spring.
Some may be concerned about safety and coronavirus restrictions as offices reopen. Others may be dreading change, after developing systems at home that helped create a more balanced life.
Many jobs have required in-person work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. For other people who have been working remotely, returning to an office environment can bring a range of emotions.
“There’s some anger because people have proven over the last couple years that remote working is something that works,” said Andrew Rogers, a licensed mental health counselor based in Seattle and Tacoma. “They can be responsible and get their work done while still working from home, which gives them the opportunity to do things in their life that they didn’t have enough time for otherwise.”
On the other hand, some may be thrilled about seeing coworkers in person, maybe for the first time. Or excited to have a quiet working space away from a house full of people.
The fact that many people may have anxiety or uncertainty about going back to an office shows how much we settled into a world that we never could have imagined before, said Julia Bonnheim, a licensed mental health counselor in Seattle.