What is your Reopening Plan?

The country is now starting to re-open, some provinces call it their Restart Plan or Reopening Plan. Health authorities in the province already lifted orders that closed gyms and massage therapy places reopened today. They have to follow strict guidelines set by Worksafe BC and the Provincial Health Officer (PHO). Restaurants, cafes, and pubs may re-open with physical distancing rule in place, of course. It is divided into four phases. This week is Phase 2 of the Restart Plan. The restrictions are starting to ease out, have you thought of your re-opening plan for yourself?

I have listened to this awesome podcast by Lori Harder, titled "Relaunch your life exactly how you want" and it got me thinking, what is my re-opening plan? Part of the bigger question, too is what are my friends restart plan? What about others? I thought of what it would look like once the restriction is lifted but I did not think of a solid plan on how I am going to relaunch myself. The podcast made me think that with all these things that are going to be in place such as using a face mask, proper hand-washing, (yes, I know it takes time, but it has to take time if you want to stay virus-free.), physical distancing and being mindful of the surfaces you touch. All of these things are making me anxious. It was not part of my old routine before. When I am on hiatus and did not want to talk or see friends, I will just shoot them a message and say, "Hey, I am free tonight, want to go for a walk?" then off we go once I hear from any of them. I did not worry about using a face mask or giving a hug. The new normal is going to be different.

What is your reopening plan? *image from google

The current situation is overwhelming and moving forward with Phase 2 we will see changes. We have to get used to the new way of meeting people, going to a restaurant, even traveling. The restaurant's capacity will be cut in half. Also, I have read an article that flights are now trying to empty the middle seat, people have to raise their hand when they want to go to the washroom. Read this: The people at the back of the plane get to go first. Say buh-bye to priority boarding. This is to limit traffic jams in the aisle which is very much the case previously. Airlines are now scrapping meal services on shorter flights and removing in-flight magazines. I know that this will cause a lot of stress to everyone, but we have to get used to the new normal, and pandemic life will not be disappearing so soon. These are the measures we are going to see as part of the world's new normal.

People have asked the questions too many times as to how this new normal will affect every one of us. The question should start from ourselves first. Stress is high. I find that everyone is on the edge including myself, no doubt about that. There would be things as part of the new normal that we will not like, and we have to remember that we are not going back to what life was pre-COVID-19. Do not worry about the overarching issue of what the new normal would like such as one-way sidewalks? Use of PPE in theaters or big concert venues? Temperature taking at every entry points whether we are going to the grocery or any destination? Thinking of those is making me agitated.

Read this: The people at the back of the plane get to go first. Say buh-bye to priority boarding.

Start by asking yourself, what would it look like for me? Now, parks are re-opening, we can enjoy being outdoors with a friend but still keeping in mind physical distancing. We can now enjoy gathering in small groups. So that is yay for everyone. Some are probably going back to work. Try to think of how good it would be to be out there despite the scare by once again being part of the workforce. Somehow, we need to build this economy back again. Students are missing school, and I know seniors who are graduating this year are heartbroken. The graduation ceremony is canceled. Not only the students are suffering, but parents are also devastated by the news. Not everyone is going to be happy with this new normal that we are having.

There are ways to slowly embrace this new normal. The podcast gave me insights about writing down what you love doing. To create a list of what makes you happy and upbeat. Also, part of the exercise is to write what makes you unhappy. In that way, you can focus on what gives you the positive energy you need, and the list will pave the way on how you live your life. Find connectedness, find ways to keep that as a constant in your life. Continue zoom dates or facetime talk. We all need our family or our friends in this challenging time. Most importantly, give yourself time. Find time to be in nature. Allot time to be in peace, it can be by meditating or reading a book that you want to read. Be creative. Lori Harder pointed out as well, "To lead a great life and to have a good day, you have to say no a lot." Make YOU happy. Design the life you wanted for yourself as part of your re-opening plan.

We cannot predict what will happen in the next month or so. The future remains foggy but we all need to be on heightened awareness with the changes. As for my re-opening plan, I will start creating my list tonight.

Resources:

"Government announcements reopening businesses across Canada." (2020, May 14). Retrieved from: https://www.osler.com/en/resources/regulations/2020/government-announcements-reopening-businesses-across-canada

Harder, Lori. (Producer). (2020, May 19). Earn your Happy Podcast. Relaunch your life exactly how you want.[Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from. https://www.loriharder.com/episode541/