Accepting the present moment just as it is. How the stages of "culture shock" could help us understand the process of adapting to life now...
Why isn't getting back out into the world more fun I lament? We now have all these exciting possibilities to tempt us out of our homes, ranging from going to the hairdresser to having a meal out. I have been looking forward to returning my library books and venturing a little further from my high street for the first time. But when the moment finally came, it was a total disappointment. I still find seeing face masks, the social distance and the plastic screens a shock each time I venture out. I feel tearful if things are too busy and want to get home quickly. And then the aha moment came... this feels like culture shock . The adjustment process that people experience when going to live in a new country for the first six months or so. Could it be that a similar process of culture shock is happening now as we adapt to our new normal, a "pandemic shock"? I lived in Asia during part of my 30s and I remember vividly how I slowly adapted to life overseas. As someone