The New Normal is not Normal!
By Martin Stewart
I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of hearing the terms, New Normal and Social
distancing! Yes, while I do agree that responsible Social Distancing is essential during this
pandemic, it is NOT normal! Yes, I know that our ways of doing business will change and I
accept that some of these may become the “new normal”, but when it comes to human
social interaction, distancing is NOT normal.
Human beings by our very nature, are fundamentally social animals. It is what makes us
progress. It is what allows us to communicate. It is what drives our emotions like love,
empathy and sadness. It is what grows our emotional and intellectual intelligence. Social
interaction is our very being. It is who and what we are! It is how we evolve! So, to be told
not to interact and keep our distance, IS NOT NORMAL.
While technology such as Skype and FaceTime can definitely help people stay in touch, they
do not replace face-to-face interactions. When people interact, a lot of the meaning
conveyed between two people is not expressed in the actual words, but in the nonverbal
behaviour. A lot of those subtleties of body language, facial expressions, and gestures can
get lost with electronic media. And modern technology is no substitute for human touch,
such as holding hands, hugging or massage, which studies suggest can affect health,
including possibly lowering blood pressure and reducing the severity of symptoms from the
common cold.
French sociologist Émile Durkheim used the phrase “collective effervescence” to describe
the shared emotional excitement people experience during religious ceremonies. This
concept, today, applies to the rise and fall of emotions during sporting events and it
dramatically magnifies the sensation for you while also reinforcing the idea that you’re
something larger than yourself. Connecting is central to what makes us human, it helps keep
us alive. Just like hunger signals us to eat, and thirst signals us to drink water, loneliness is
thought to be a biological drive that motivates us to reconnect. (At times, the 1,5-metre
barrier between us can feel like a million miles.)
Unfortunately for us humans, isolation can cause and evoke several negative feelings and
patterns, these too are NOT normal! Sadly, mental health conditions such as depression and
anxiety are prevalent and exacerbated during this pandemic. Research on the psychological
toll of social distancing during epidemics is limited, however many quarantined individuals
have experienced both short- and long-term mental health problems, including stress,
insomnia, emotional exhaustion and substance abuse.
It is extremely important to understand why you may be feeling the way you are. While not
normal, these feelings are understandable and, in many cases, justified. It is essential that
you share these thoughts and feelings with either a healthcare professional or someone
close you can trust.
Don’t suppress you worries and anxieties! Reach out, talk and interact as much as you can.
You will find that most people are feeling the same way at the moment.
The “New Normal” is NOT normal for us social human beings.