Disclaimer: The content and opinions expressed here belong solely to myself, and do not reflect the views of my employer 

As a global pandemic threw a curveball in 2020 I was fortunate to have a job I could do remotely when employers were required to make that accommodation.

Fourteen month later the pandemic restrictions were loosening and it was time to return to the office.

Returning to working in the office after such a long time sounds simple and easy, but it’s a lot of changes happening all at once.

For so long my commute has been little more than two dozen steps and a flight of stairs. Now it’s back to a 15-25 minute morning drive and 20-45 afternoon commute. At the same time there is major highway construction occurring.

Business casual attire has not been missed while working from home. Pants and button-ups hung up in favor of shorts and t-shirts. Shoes were replaced with socks or going barefoot. I would “dress up” for team meetings and turn on my camera, and even looked forward to the change.

During work hours I was on my own with just our pets. Gone were the distractions of people walking through the halls at work, loud meetings and trainings on the other side of thin walls, and even normal workplace discussions and chatting. It was quieter but replaced with much briefer distractions such as mail and package delivery, pets acting silly, and the occasional loud neighborhood traffic.

Gone was the ability to swivel my chair around to talk with coworkers. Instant messaging increased and took the place of in-person conversations. Meetings and discussions moved into the virtual world with the help Teams and Zoom. Eight hours away from people, even with virtual options taking over, left a small and unexpected void.

The afternoon and evening before returning, anxiety decided to stop in for a visit. I packed up my “desk" so I’d be ready to head in the next morning.

The anxiety ramped up immensely the next morning on the drive in. So many changing back in such a short amount of time, uncertainty about what could really be expected and how everyone would handle it, all the things had snuck up inside the shadows.

The whole first day I felt anxious and like I was on the verge of a panic attack. This was a new feeling for me, and I absolutely did not like it.

The anxiety and panicky feelings have lessened as the days went by, but I can still feel them peeking from the shadows.

The pandemic restrictions for employers/employees loosened again not long before going back in. Masks were no longer required by the state for employees that are fully vaccinated. Although I’m fully vaccinated, I’ve continued to wear masks when I’m away from my desk and when I go into stores. I have family members with health conditions and continuing to mask helps reduce the change of me contracting something and then passing it along to them.

At the end of the first week I was drained from all the changes. Anxiety had stolen a lot of energy. My social meter was in the red, far far below empty. The weekend was better but left to the sole purpose of recuperation.

The end of the second week has arrived. I’ve spent less time outside but have started taking mid-morning walks with coworkers. The anxiety and panicky feelings have continued to lessen, but I feel like the old “normal” is gone and is still in progress of being replaced. Now is a perfect time for employers to evolve, but only time will tell whether they choose to.