Before the term Coronavirus became known worldwide, and before the COVID-19 pandemic happened, we were all just living life as we knew it.
It took a worldwide pandemic for us to realize that, perhaps, we had been doing some things wrong this whole time. In some cases, like shaking hands, it’s not necessarily ‘wrong’- but now it seems like something as casual as shaking hands is a careless move towards the quality of your health.
Every ‘social norm’ as we know it, has been affected one way or another by this pandemic. Therapist and counsellor Colette Chapman says the pandemic forced us to change.
“Within this pandemic, we were forced to create a new set of social norms. And I think, with those new social norms that have came in, staying at home and being isolated. It’s allowed some relationships to get close, and it’s made some worse.”
It really makes one think how clueless we all may have been just a few years ago. Chapman points out germaphobia existed before the pandemic, but it’s much more common now.
“Were we so unaware of all these kinds of hidden dangers and other things, to some degree? Those of us who don’t have germaphobia- I think about how we used to hug, offer a sip of our drink, just regular things we did. Now, people will be cautious of those things going forward.”
One of London’s local citizens, Joshua Todoroff, didn’t sound too concerned about the shift in social norms. He says he’s still going to be him, he just wants his favourite mall (Masonville) to go back to the way it was pre-pandemic.
“I’m looking forward to the pandemic being over. I just want life to go back to normal, so I can head back and shop at the ‘Ville.”
Not all members of the community have been so lucky to remain cool through the lockdowns. The US Census Bureau reported in December 2020 that almost 50% of Americans were suffering from some form of anxiety due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. Colette Chapman speaks with many people about their situations and she says anxiety has been a common theme in London as well.
“People are wanting to connect. Certainly in my practice I get a lot of people with anxiety. People suffer with mental health and anxiety as well, but the pandemic has certainly heightened it for others.”
Whether you’re okay with shaking hands, or sharing food, or none of the above- there are still COVID-19 health and safety protocols currently set in place to make sure the pandemic can successfully end. What the world will look like when that day comes, is still very much a mystery.
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