The Session: The Stress of Returning to Work In-Person

The Stress of Returning to Work Post Covid UC Riverside School of Psychology Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. We are a social being amygdala, a brain region that encodes salient (most important) information in the environment hippocampus, a region important for learning and memory, prefrontal cortex, a region important in decision making and social behavior. 2. These brain regions enables us to learn about and recognize emotional cues in others in order to more effectively navigate our social world. 3. The absence of the social interaction that our brain expects, increased isolation and loneliness can lead to increased risk for cognitive decline, as well as mental health consequences like depression Vulnerable members of the population, such as children, the elderly and those with underlying mental health concerns.  4. What this means for returning to work? We have become conditioned to be alone and now we face people. Not to mention those who haven’t had to deal with their boss for a year and now they do. That can produce anxiety. 5. Fear is an emotion in response to an impending threat that motivates a reaction to protect the self: flee or withdraw. What this means for returning to work is that we may have become more used to interacting with fewer people and turning inwards so that a return to meetings, classes, and in-person social events can be overwhelming initially and lead to greater anxiety, particularly as we have not been fully exercising our social skills for over a year. It is also important that we take the fear that we have about returning to work and bring it before the Lord. When I fear I trust in you Psalm 56:3 When we worry it is the mental part of anxiety. Happy are those who trust in the Lord, who rely on the Lord." Jeremiah 17:7 We take captive those thoughts II Corinthians 10:5 To reach Tom Russell, please call 419-709-8447, email Tom at [email protected], or visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com