Transitioning into the NEXT NORMAL
Addressing the fact that returning to normal is not a realistic or healthy goal
Two years ago this weekend our lives were turned upside down. By a new little virus.
On March 11, 2020 — the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and #flattenthecurve was a trending hashtag across social media. That evening I had just wrapped up an Ask the Expert Panel at Erie News Now.
And I wrote that I was —
“Embracing the fact that everyone loves the epidemiologists during the pandemic… On a serious note, please listen to the epidemiolgoists. We — the public health workforce — have prepared for this (the pandemic). Please listen to the advice of your public health officials.”
Just a couple of days later, on March 15, 2020, I posted —
“The sun is setting as we begin our first week of social distancing. We’re keeping up with friends and family via text and watching Star Wars. #maytheforcebewithyou #covid_19”
I shared this picture of my sweet husband, who had been working from home for years by himself. He was bracing for us all to be home all of the time.
Looking back two years later, I am mortified that I used the phrase “social distancing.” What an awful term! What is needed to decrease disease spread from person to person is physical space. Relationships and social connections are necessary in order to be healthy. We need to stop using the term “social distancing.” In the future physical distance may be needed to slow the spread of disease.
In rereading this quote, I also realize that I knew at that moment two years ago our time in lockdown was going to be extended (it wasn’t going to be just two weeks as we first thought/were told). I was thinking in terms of weeks in 2020; I expected the lockdown to be long. There were so many unanswered questions in March of 2020 - about the virus, about its spread, about who was at risk, about how deadly the disease was, about how to empower public health and clinical medicine to keep us safe and healthy. Most people expected to walk out of the lockdown and the pandemic would be behind us; no one expected that the pandemic would linger on for years.
The fact that COVID continues to impact our lives in 2022 was not what we were told to expect. And two years later, everyone (still or should) loves the epidemiologists!
Over the past two years, there have been cancellations, disappointments, frustration, confusion, and constant changes. The pandemic has been disruptive.
Everyone is itching to return to normal.
But we MUST STOP wishing for, asking about, anticipating a return to normal.
The world has changed over the past two years, and we have changed along with it (whether we recognize those changes or not). We have lived through something and experienced so much in the past two years. And the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the villain of the pandemic, will be circulating in our communities for the rest of time.
Given that SARS-CoV-2 is here to stay and we’ve lived through a deadly pandemic, where nearly 1 million Americans have died, more than 200,000 kids have lost a primary caregiver, and 1.8 trillion hours of in-person learning have been lost due to COVID lockdowns. We need to be dreaming of and creating a NEXT NORMAL; not demanding or wishing to return to normal.
As I look back over the past two years — the lockdowns, the professional highs, threats to public health and public health professionals, a lot of time at home, remote school, teaching online, bike riding, kayaking, lots of hiking — here is what I have learned…
Being healthy means so much more than just exercising, eating nutritious food, not smoking, and not drinking too much alcohol. The definition of being healthy must include healthy communities, access to healthcare, and care for our social, emotional, and mental health.
Being in relationship and community with others is vital to being healthy. Throughout the past two years, my family has focused on quality over quantity when it comes to our community. Our pod family shares a meal together every week (we’re going on 18 months now) and we do the same with our sweet neighbors. We have truly formed a village where we care, love, encourage, and support one another. We are in daily communications and we are sustaining each other through the highs and lows of the pandemic. Building a strong community/family has been a lifesaver throughout the past two years; it has changed the way I am a parent, a friend, and a partner (all for the better!).
There is beauty all around us; we just have to slow down to see it. Prior to the pandemic, I had not walked in the cemetery and ravine that are right by our home. I had not witnessed the beautiful azaleas in spring or the newborn skunks in early summer. I’d never see freshly fallen snow on the ravine trail or heard the rush of water when that snow melted. I’d never swum in the lake a few miles from my house or gone for an evening walk in the golden hour of fall. When I was forced to slow down, I saw and experienced beauty right in my backyard. The sights, sounds, and experiences of nature have brought joy to my soul and provided me with energy and strength to get through each day. In my next normal, I need to continue to visit these places and fill myself with beauty.
Being a good listener, curious, and consistent have been the most important skills (combined with my knowledge of epidemiology) as I’ve stepped out into the public as a public health expert. Professionally, I have transitioned from a timid, self-conscious professor into a TV contributor, blogger, and community leader. My experience as an epidemiologist opened the door for me, but I am convinced that my platform has grown and the opportunities have grown exponentially because I have listened well, asked questions, shown up consistently, been humble (especially when I do not know the answer to something), and have communicated clearly and with confidence. We need to teach these skills across industries, campuses, within schools, and throughout our communities if we want to build back healthier and safer.
Several weeks into lockdown, I opened our kitchen cabinet to find this —
It was a message from my daughter, who in her infinite wisdom, understood that the pandemic would bring about possibilities — possibilities to create safer healthier communities, possibilities to discuss providing care for everyone in our community, possibilities about infusing discussions of health into all of our policies and programs.
Because if we are not healthy or our health is threatened everything falls apart.
I am stepping into this next stage of the pandemic — the NEXT NORMAL — having learned so much during the past two years. I cannot go back to 2019 normal because I have changed, grown, and learned so much. I am looking to the NEXT NORMAL (read: my future) with eyes focused on creating healthy communities. I want my kids to have better access to care, more preventive medicine, and safer environments than we had prior to the pandemic. I want to build on the relationships that were solidified during the pandemic. I want to work to be a better listener and more curious.
I want to be the best, most authentic version of myself as we move forward.
Returning to normal is unacceptable.
The NEXT NORMAL is full of hope, new knowledge, stronger friendships, new-found skills, and a deep appreciation for the beauty that is all around me.
I invite you to step into the NEXT NORMAL with me.
Thank you, Dr. Becky. Wise words from our fave epidemiologist. 🙏🏼👍🏻