a tentative return to normality

Hi, its Emily,

Obviously as the lockdown rules are being lifted, some aspects of life are starting to return to normality, such as having to restart all of the daily social interactions and general life admin that has been non-existent during the past few months.
Although lockdown is restrictive and the general stresses of the pandemic were (and are still) present, I found the peace and quiet of my life in isolation was exactly what I needed to reset after my recent whirlwind of college/work. I've been quite happy keeping myself busy with things to do in isolation whilst also keeping in touch with friends. In fact, I now have more to talk to friends than if I had been doing exams (I find that crying over geography textbooks tends to cut into socialising time).

However, now after being isolated for a while, I feel that for some of us it will be more difficult to transition back into 'normal' life. For example, I have an interview this Tuesday for a customer service job, and after so long not talking to that many other people in person (or actually going anywhere at all), it is pretty daunting to go straight into an interview situation. Can I even remember how to have a conversation? - we'll find out.
Similarly, many of us will be currently making big (and a bit scary) decisions about colleges and universities. For me, emails about going to university in September have been coming through asking  to accept and reject offers with deadlines etc. I think things like this are a bit of a shock to the system - suddenly and out of nowhere we have important choices to make again! (terrifying, I know)

So all in all, I have discovered that I need to face up to the fact that I need to reintroduce myself to the 'normal', non-lockdown Britain that is imminently returning.
Soon, we will all go back to colleges, universities and work - for some it will be welcomed and exciting, but for others it will be a bit more strange and daunting.

Thanks for reading!