As officials push to reopen schools, many people still don’t feel safe going back in person yet. Across the U.S., districts differ in their plans—some are fully virtual, others are fully in-person, and many are following various hybrid models. You’re probably experiencing stress about an uncertain future. If you’re on edge and feel like you’re waiting for something bad to happen, that’s anticipatory grief. [1] It’s especially confusing with COVID-19 because you know that the virus is out there and causing harm, but you can’t physically see it. The threat of potential exposure to COVID-19 is scary. Some fear is good because it makes you vigilant about taking precautions, but too much fear can do more harm than good. If you are a teacher or have a child that will be going back to school in-person—whether full time, every other day, or every other week—it’s important to prevent that fear from becoming debilitating.
Dealing With Potential Exposure: The Stress Of Physically Reopening Schools
