Read the following passage about and mark the letter A, B, C, D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 40.
As mandatory COVID-19 lockdowns around the world start to ease and businesses slowly open their doors, many of us facing a dilemma: we feel anxious about resuming our normal routines, even though they're precisely what we've been looking forward to. So what exactly makes us feel uneasy about returning to work?
[I] For one thing, we have been constantly stressed recently. [II] As infection rates dip and swell, orders from local and national leaders shift and concern for the safety of loved ones grows, living in a state of confusion and worry has become the norm. [III] And, understandably, these feelings won't magically disappear when lockdown lifts. [IV] This is part of the reason why the idea of resuming our normal routines isn't sparking the positivity we expected.
Additionally, the few benefits that have emerged from lockdowns will make the transition back to work even more stressful when they are suddenly taken away, says Dr. David Rosmarin, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "More sleep due to less commuting and working time, more time to spend with family members and less social pressure" are things many of us will sorely miss once lockdown lifts.
Furthermore, Rosmarin has learned that those who suffer mental health conditions related to social anxiety have fared well during the global coronavirus-driven lockdowns because they have been able to avoid their fears of social interaction. Besides, the lack of stress associated with getting up early to be on time and perform at work has become one of the biggest sources of stress relief. And all these advantages may quickly and completely disappear when they eventually return to the workplace.
Being confined to our homes has also allowed us to shift into a quieter and more peaceful pace of living, says Cassiday, so returning to commuting may seem unappealing. "The truth is that rushing to work and standing in crowded trains is stressful and very likely not an ideal situation for any person." As we return to public transport and our offices, we will likely be forced to interact with these shared spaces in new and unfamiliar ways.
The important thing that we must remember when we resume our routines is that attempting not to publicly express our anxiety about the transition will only make it more difficult. The goal should never be to dissemble anxiety by pretending that it doesn't exist or to race towards a feeling of normality, "but rather to accept that it's present and bravely choose to exist and thrive with one's anxiety," says Rosmarin.
(Adapted from bbc.co.uk)
