What is re-entry panic syndrome and how does it affect people after lockdown?

After being confined in our homes for over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are slowly but surely returning to the old ways of the world this 2023.

While going back to the "old normal" seems very familiar, are there any mental changes people are experiencing?

According to Dr. Joan Perez-Rifareal, a certified psychiatrist and mental health advocate, any form of transition, big or small, could cause someone to feel "shaken."

"With any form of transition, from an online class to physical classrooms or working from home to physical offices, nagkakaroon [tayo] ng feeling na kailangan magadjust, mag-adapt," she said in "The Howie Severino Podcast."

"At with these, nagkakaroon also ng emotional changes or mga emotional reaction like for example, napansin natin ito noong start ng transition of going back sa outside world, nagkakaroon tayo ng anxiety. Ito yung pangamba, takot," she added.

The psychiatrist said that those feelings are totally valid and is collectively referred to as "re-entry panic syndrome."

"It's panic and anxiety," she said. "Kasi takot pa rin ang mga tao kasi we know na nasa pandemya pa rin tayo, the virus is still here, the virus is still out there. So may takot pa rin."

To combat re-entry panic syndrome, Dr. Joan suggests establishing a routine that works for you daily.

"So make sure that we follow that schedule, routine to give us a sense of structure to our day. It is very helpful to have that routine and structure," she said.

—Hermes Joy Tunac/MGP, GMA Integrated News