Page 33 - BusinessWest June 9, 2021

BusinessWest spoke with several behavioral- health professionals who said much of the stress people are feeling right now is rooted in their concerns about how safe it is to go back into the world. Despite the May 29 reopening of Massa-
way to survive,” she said. “Once they escaped and reached a safe place, they held on to those behav- iors because they didn’t know how else to act.”
All behaviors have a motivation, she contin-
chusetts, allowing every- thing from restaurants
to sports arenas to fully welcome the public, Alane Burgess, clinic director for MHA’s BestLife program, said many people still do not feel safe going to the supermarket.
“It’s always easier to learn how to be afraid than it is to be unafraid,” Burgess said. “Even when we’re told everything
is OK, people still have questions.” As COVID-19 is a relatively new virus and scientists are still learning about it, con- tinued concerns about personal safety are not surprising.
A recent research arti- cle looked at the trauma experienced by refugees after they emerged from a
war-torn country. Favor- ite said their experience serves as a metaphor for these times.
“In the war zone, they had to develop certain habits and routines as a
ued, and the ones we followed to stay safe during the pandemic served us well. As we move beyond the pandemic, however, it’s time to examine if those behaviors are still serving us.
“Because so many people are not sure what to do, they will hold on to behaviors even when they no longer serve their intended purpose,” Favorite said. “I think many people will be in a sort of in- between place until we start to see a critical mass of vaccinations.”
Baby Steps
For many, entering back into the world needs
“
sure what to do, they will hold on to behaviors even when they no longer serve their intended purpose.”
to be a gradual process. Kathryn Mulcahy, clinic director for Outpatient Behavioral Health Services at the Center for Human Development, encour- ages her clients to start small.
“Instead of trying to do everything at once, I remind people it’s OK to take baby steps,” Mulca- hy said. “You might not be ready to go out to the movies, but you can start getting back into the world by taking a walk in your neighborhood.”
As an incentive to go out again, Burgess advis-
Because so many people are not
Alane Burgess says it’s always easier to learn how to be afraid than to unlearn that mindset.
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