An informed guide to the pandemic, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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 | | The New York Times |
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 | | Returning to the office will be stressful for many.Jeenah Moon for The New York Times |
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As more workers return to their offices, many are bringing deep emotional and mental scars from the pandemic to their cubicles — and at a time when the world feels particularly unstable. |
"It's a challenging moment," said my colleague Emma Goldberg, who covers the future of work for The New York Times. Global upheaval and war are creating shocking events and images, Covid cases are ticking up in certain areas of the country, and some people are worried again about protecting themselves and their families. |
"At the same time, some employers are saying, 'We need to get back to normal,'" Emma said. "And I think some people are saying, 'What does that even mean?'" |
How are people feeling about work and mental health? |
The past two years have been challenging for so many different reasons — people have lost loved ones, fallen sick, had economic hardships. Many people are struggling with mental health challenges, and mental health care is difficult to obtain and afford in the U.S. So in a lot of cases, workers and workplaces are having to fill in the gaps. Workers are figuring out how they can share personal challenges with colleagues and managers, and some managers say they feel like they're acting as therapists even if they don't have training to do so. |
What should companies understand about this moment? |
What's at stake here is people's health and well-being. People across all different industries, geographies and demographics are struggling. And they need support, which starts with mental health care. But it also extends to having teammates and supervisors supporting people showing up as their full selves and not hiding what they're going through. |
How are companies addressing this? |
Some of them have expanded the mental health care services on offer. Others are making long-term commitments to flexibility and ensuring people have the support they need to balance their personal and their professional obligations. |
I spoke to one company that's piloting a four-day workweek because they want people to get the rest that they need and have time to spend with their families and take care of themselves. And I spoke to other companies that are training managers to understand how to check in and support workers in dealing with personal challenges. |
What should companies take away from this moment? |
Over the last couple of years, in a lot of different workplaces, people started to talk more about physical health and safety. But that needs to extend to mental health and emotional health as well. It's important to understand that the pandemic and its attendant crises have also brought on a mental health crisis. That's especially true for people who weren't able to work from home. But it extends to people now preparing for the transition of returning to the office and seeing their routines scrambled. |
Before I let you go, is the BA.2 wave throwing off return to work plans? |
I haven't gotten a sense yet that many companies are shifting their approach in light of BA.2. Those that are reopening their offices in the coming weeks and months for the most part seem to feel confident that they know how to keep workplaces safe and open through a combination of vaccine requirements, testing requirements, sometimes masking requirements and encouraging workers to stay home when they don't feel well and report positive tests. |
 | | Crisis calls to helplines rose in the pandemic.Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times |
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Your mental health changes |
We asked readers how their mental health had changed over the course of the pandemic. Many of you shared your stories — both positive and negative. Thank you to those of you who wrote in. |
"I have gotten all too comfortable giving in to my agoraphobia. I no longer have any desire to work through it again and plan to continue to live distanced from social interaction to a very large degree. It has shown me a world I don't want to be part of and I give up. I will remain the odd old lady down the street who rarely leaves her house." — Carolyn Rowan, Allentown, Pa. |
"I feel wonderful. I was able to work from home, taking early rising, rushed mornings and commuting out of the picture. I was happier, more rested and healthier. Now, back to 'normal,' I've returned to harried and exhausted — mentally and physically. I don't need to be elbow-to-eyeball with people to be happy. And I'm not alone with that view." — D. Moreau, Houston |
"Before March 19, 2020, I was fine. My dad, a hospital pathologist, was diagnosed with Covid that day. He was ventilated and died on April 6. I did not get to see him — he died alone — and I have felt intense, indescribable pain ever since. Traumatized and devastated are two words to describe my state. I am a completely different person now. I have been in grief counseling for two years and I have found solace in supporting my students (I teach high school) as we navigate this pandemic." — Beatriz Bishop, Cleveland |
"It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, which I realize sounds crazy. The pandemic made me hit a rock bottom I never knew I was so close to. It forced me to see how much I was neglecting my mental health and ignoring warning signs of serious issues and face them full on and work through them. I'm now thriving and couldn't be more grateful." — Madeline, West Caldwell, N.J. |
"I've gone from fearless to fearful. I used to travel internationally regularly. Now I'm terrified and overwhelmed at the thought of any travel. I recently forced myself to take a domestic flight to visit my elderly mother who I hadn't seen in three years and was overwhelmed at dealing with the airports, security, and navigating through the airport — something I had done with no problem on a regular basis before. I'm terrified at any venture outside my condo." — Elaine Turner, Denver |
"I went from being a child to a teenager during the pandemic, so maybe that's part of it. During the first lockdown, I stayed optimistic and happy, but when the first Covid winter came, my parents would go in person every day to their jobs, while I was home alone every day for three months until my school reopened hybrid. This was a major time of struggles and depression for me, but the return of fully in-person learning in fall 2021 really brought me joy and true excitement to be back at school. While my mental health isn't perfect, I'm doing much better than I was pre-pandemic." — Atticus Howard-Recht, Brooklyn |
What else we're following |
Let us know how you're dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
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