Hollie Rodriguez - Welcome to the sound of science on WNIJ. I'm Hollie, and today I’m joined by Dr. Suzanne Degges-White, chair and professor of counseling in higher education here at NIU. Last April in 2020, you joined us for a stem cafe all about managing stress in the pandemic. And I heard you say at that point this isn't forever, and the idea that we were saying that in April of 2020 blows my mind because there was still so much more time to go. So, as we are finally going back to our normal routines and lives, what advice would you have for people who are trying to reenter those routines and habits that they had prior to COVID-19?
Suzanne Degges-White - Well the first piece of advice is to realize that the new normal is going to be our new normal, but it's still new. And so, it's going to be a little bit harder I think for some people to get back in the swing of things. I know that when I return to the office working five days out of my home was exhausting, it was a whole another perspective and so that's something we've got to realize. We've still got to continue to grant people grace and grant ourselves grace. What happened the last 18 months was really catastrophic in many ways, it was certainly cataclysmic, and it also was a catalyst for changing the way we engage with ourselves, engaged with other people, and we have to realize change is always hard. As a counselor, I know that someone admitting they need to change it's like the biggest step, and then each step after that it's going to be a little bit easier. So, as you begin to get back in the swing of things, you might need to acknowledge to yourself that this is harder than I thought. Interacting with strangers may be kind of anxiety provoking, and for those folks who do have tinges of social anxiety this is going to be super hard for them. They spent 18 months in that comfortable cocoon, and so we need as I said, grant ourselves grace, grant others grace, and recognize that as we engage with people, hopefully will come through the pandemic valuing those relationships that were so essential to our well-being the last 18 months.
Hollie Rodriguez - Thank you so much for joining us today, this was The Sound of Science on WNIJ
Suzanne Degges-White - Where you learn something new every day.
