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Friends,
There’s a lot of fresh COVID-fueled uncertainty going around these days, and it might be giving you feelings of deja vu.
How bizarre it feels to have now lived pandemic life so long that there are distinct phases we can count on our fingers: the “early times” of panic buying, that time we were all into Tiger King and then that other time we were all into chess, that period when everybody knew somebody getting into bread baking. Maybe, like me, you feel like we’ve lived several lifetimes since March 2020.
What does set this time apart, though, is that we have a lot more pandemic-specific resources to help you cope than we did a year ago. And while CDC guidelines and COVID headlines may shift and change, working to take good care of yourself and your community in times of hardship is always a good idea.
Below, you'll find highlights from resources that are still here to help you navigate this pandemic world as we enter another phase of it:
Coping With Headline Anxiety In this episode with neuroscientist Judson Brewer, we learned that worry is actually a maladaptive mechanism of our brain. In order to break anxiety-inducing habit loops, engage in activities that bring you connectedness. Things like volunteering, meditation or taking a (virtual) exercise class are all great options. (My vote is for the last one — sweat is a superpower!)
Dealing With Uncertainty — From People Who’ve Been There My absolute favorite tip from this episode -- and possibly all-time favorite? Don’t “should” on yourself. There’s no right way to get through a difficult time. With advice from people from all walks of life, including wildfire survivors and cancer patients, this episode will remind you: we can’t make sense of everything, and that’s OK.
COVID-19 Etiquette Click for advice on how to get rule-benders back in line at your indoor gathering, stay for the spot-on, printable comic that says exactly what you’re feeling when people on public transportation get too close to you.
Post-Quarantine Socializing If you’ve been vaccinated and out and about in the world for a while you might not be stressing this one anymore, but I think it’s fair to say pandemic life has changed socializing for a lot of us. The good news is social skills are just that — skills that can be practiced and refined as needed. Journalist and all-around conversational whiz Celeste Headlee can talk you through it.
Stay safe out there, friends. We might not have all the answers, but we’ve still got each other (and a whole bunch of streaming services.)
— Andee Tagle, Life Kit producer
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Your Delta Questions
With the delta variant surging, NPR wants to know what questions you have about this phase of the pandemic. Send your questions to lifekit@npr.org or tweet them to us using #NPRanswers, and we'll work on answering them in upcoming stories.
Photo Collage by Trish Pickelhaupt/NPR
💌 Dear Life Kit, 💌
For our new advice column series, we're taking your questions and putting them to our experts. Since you subscribe to our newsletter, we're giving you a sneak peek! Here's what etiquette expert Elaine Swann had to say about a pandemic wedding question.
Dear Life Kit,
I just found out that some of my cousins haven’t gotten the COVID vaccine. With the delta variant causing breakthrough infections, how can I politely disinvite them from my wedding?
— Don’t Want My Wedding To Go Viral
Elaine's advice: In this instance, the best thing to do is to let your cousins know that you’re making modifications based upon what’s happening in the world. Simply tell them, "With the delta variant going around, we’ve decided to modify our wedding and downsize a little bit more. We’re looking forward to sharing our time with you afterwards." This way, your focus is more about what’s happening in the world and less upon their actions.
Thanks for sticking with us! Watch this space for next week's episodes on:
👪 Parenting Decisions I 💌 Letter Writing I 💋 Dating Apps
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