TITLE

Anxious About Returning to “Normal Life”? Try Emotional Vaccination

DESCRIPTION

Wouldn’t it be great if there were such a thing as an “emotional vaccination” to help us cope with the anticipation of the transitions we experience as we return to school or work even as the pandemic continues.  “While we may expect these transitions to be met with relief or excitement—finally, “re-entry” and “a return to normal”!—it’s critical to prepare ourselves and our families for relief and anxiety, excitement and sadness…. The first thing parents—and anyone experiencing return-to-normal fears—must do is cope with this sometimes overwhelming anxiety. You can practice this coping strategy in advance: Acknowledge-Validate-Permit or, as I shorten it, AVP. Acknowledge by noticing a feeling, validate by telling yourself why the feeling makes sense, and then give yourself permission to be having that feeling.”

The author of the article offers the suggestion of just how to make use of AVP to cope.  “This is when you can do something I call “emotional vaccination”—we prepare for future feelings and can even “pre-regulate” the feelings by surrounding them with understanding, empathy, and care.”  

This article can be used with chapters on health and positive Psychology, as well as stress management.

SOURCE

Time Magazine, July 16, 2021, by Becky Kennedy

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://time.com/6080708/dr-becky-back-to-school-anxiety/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email-share-article&utm-term=ideas

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/44xk4cd3

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•What is Acknowledge-Validate-Permit or AVP?  How would you explain this to someone who has not read the article?

•How does the author suggest that AVP be applied to upcoming transitions that might be fraught with anxiety and other negative emotions?

•Provide an example, after reading the article, of how a college student would cope  with the anxiety of returning to school using the AVP technique.