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%\n l)pra(& <©a?£tt£ Tuesday, June 22,2021 9A
Life after COVID: A long road to recovery
How to handle consumer
demands after the pandemic
The 'new normal
Much about life after
the pandemic is un
known. As the rollout of
COVID-19 vaccinations
continues across the
globe, the world is begin
ning to emerge from the
pandemic. That emer
gence should be good for
businesses, even if they
aren’t sure what consum
er demand will be like in
the months ahead.
Predicting consumer
demand is an inexact sci
ence in the best of times.
Such predictions could
prove even harder in a
post-pandemic world.
No one knows how much
staying power pandemic-
related changes will
have. For example,
consumers who grew
accustomed to ordering
takeout from eateries
that previously did not
offer to-go service may
want to continue doing
so even after it’s once
again safe to enjoy meals
in crowded restaurants.
That could make it hard
for restaurant owners
to determine staffing
needs, and some may
struggle to decide if they
should keep practices
implemented during the
pandemic in place in the
months
and years
ahead.
No two
business
es are the
same, so
there’s no
one-size-
fits-all
solution
for busi
ness own
ers who must try to plan
for consumer demand
after the pandemic. How
ever, businesses can try
various strategies in an
effort to meet consumer
demand after the pan
demic.
• Solicit consumer
input. Consumers are as
different as the busi
nesses they support.
Business owners in the
midst of a full reopen
ing can solicit consumer
input as they prepare
for what’s ahead. Gauge
comfort levels with in
person shopping and ask
customers
about their
experiences
during the
pandemic.
This can be
a good way
to see what
worked and
didn’t work
over the last
year-plus,
which can
help business owners
make more informed
decisions about how to
connect with customers
after the pandemic.
• Ease into reopening.
Demand may not immedi
ately reach pre-pandemic
levels. Despite wide
spread availability of
vaccines, health risks re
main. Public health agen
cies like the World Health
Organization have noted
that those risks won’t
immediately recede with
vaccinations. That could
mean consumers remain
somewhat hesitant,
while others who may
have lost their jobs dur-
The full impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic
on the business sector
won’t be known for years
to come, though a recent
survey indicates that a
drop in post-pandemic
productivity is not some
thing many businesses
expect. In a 2020 survey
of leading firms in Europe
that were asked a vari
ety of questions about
the potential long-term
effects of the COVID-19
pandemic on the econo
my, the European Central
Bank found that 60 per
cent of respondents felt
that productivity in their
business or sector would
increase. In addition, the
ing the pandemic may
adjust their spending
habits, even if they’ve
since found new jobs.
Easing into reopening
gives business owners
an opportunity to survey
the new landscape and
avoid overcommitting
before they realize what
demand will be like.
• Prepare for in
creased demand. Though
it’s important that pro
jections remain realistic
and reflect consumers’
potential hesitancy to
spend, it’s also vital that
business owners rec
ognize the potential for
considerably higher de
mand. That’s especially
significant for businesses
whose chief competitors
did not survive the pan
demic. Business owners
should develop a plan to
meet sudden and sizable
consumer demands if
their competitors are no
longer around or only of
fering limited services.
No one knows what
consumers’ mindsets will
be after the pandemic. A
measured approach can
help businesses make a
smooth transition from
operating in a pandemic
to opening doors once
the pandemic has ended.
ECB reported that most
respondents were not
anticipating any long
term, pandemic-related
negative effects on sales.
The ECB theorizes that
the rosy outlook in terms
of productivity reflects
how so many businesses
were able to success
fully adapt on the fly at
the onset of the pan
demic, proving they were
capable of maintaining
existing levels of pro
duction despite sudden
restrictions on labor that
resulted from social dis
tancing measures, such
as the necessary transi
tion from in person labor
to remote working.
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As the rate of Covid-19
cases has begun to de
crease and the number
of vaccinated individuals
continues to rise, many
are heading back out into
the world... unsure of
what to expect and what
lies ahead.
We are now being
forced to reevaluate
every aspect of our daily
lives... to begin adjusting
to a post-pandemic soci
ety, while still navigating
through the pandemic.
We are being forced into
a “new normal”. But,
what exactly does this
“new normal” look like?
Dr. Teralyn Sell, Psy
chotherapist and brain
health expert, touches
on what ex
actly the“new
normal” is
today and how
it is impact
ing individuals
everywhere.
“As the
country begins
to open up it is
time to pon
der the idea
of what ‘new normal’
might mean. One of the
unspoken topics of the
pandemic is how it was
actually helping some
people re-evaluate the
things that are important
to them. Some people are
being required to go back
to their offices and con
tinue what was, others
are attempting to negoti
ate for more of ‘what is’
and still others are really
looking to create some
thing new or continue
on the journey they have
forged over the past year.
No matter what side of
the conversation you are
on, it is time to unpack
what ‘new normal’ means
for you,” says Dr. Teralyn
Sell.
Here are Dr. Teralyn
Sell’s top two tips on
how you can establish a
“new normal” while keep
ing your mental health a
priority:
Tip #1: Before you
jump back into ‘what
was’ pre-pandemic, take
inventory of the things
that were working for
you during the pan
demic.
1 like the analogy of
the frog in the boiling pot
of water. Pre-pandemic
many of us were quite
‘comfortable’ living in
the discomfort of the
boiling water. Once we
were taken out of the wa
ter we then realized how
uncomfortable it actually
was. Now, we are often
being asked to jump back
into the boiling water as
if it isn’t boiling.
This is a great time to
unpack the things that
you may have enjoyed
during the pandemic and
move in those direc
tions. Perhaps you really
liked the freedom of not
commuting so you were
home for meals with your
family. Evaluate what is
important to you, time
with loved ones is likely
on top of the list. Often
our mental health suffers
when we continue to live
in discomfort. You may
experience more depres
sion, anxiety and sleep-
related problems. That
is why it is important to
begin your evaluation of
what parts of the ‘new
normal’ you absolutely
need to protect and what
you can leave behind.
Tip #2: Establish
healthy habits one micro
habit at a time.
For some of us, we
have gathered some
unhealthy habits during
the pandemic. Perhaps
hygiene was slipping, or
not dressing prop
erly daily or not
exercising. More
than ever, the time
is now to evalu
ate some of the
negative habits we
have developed
and start replac
ing them with new,
healthier ones.
Don’t try to tackle
all habits at once. Instead
set a micro goal and mas
ter that. Then habit stack
positive habits around
that micro habit.
Healthy and unhealthy
habits play a large role in
our mental health. How
ever, habits are tough
unless we establish an
awareness of what we
are doing in the first
place. That is why before
you start something new,
evaluate your day from
start to finish and find a
time of day that makes
sense to you to start
something new.
What are some things
we should try to look out
for when going through
this process of creating a
“new normal”?
Here are Dr. Teralyn
Sell’s top two things to
avoid when creating your
“new normal”:
#1: When starting
something new, avoid the
pitfalls of perfection.
The idea is to do
something new more
often than not. However,
we tend to do the all-or-
nothing idea here. If we
aren’t perfect, it isn’t
worth that sort of think
ing. Look to create trends
that more often than not,
the new habit is com
pleted instead of looking
for perfection.
#2: Have realistic ex
pectations of yourself.
For instance, if your
new goal is to go for a
walk every day, think of
the time of day that you
are at your best and put
the walk in there. If you
are not a morning per
son, don’t set your alarm
for early dawn to fit it in
because you will likely
hit the snooze on day 3.
Instead, look for the time
of day that you could
easily fit in the walk and
start there instead.
iKW
Georgia Department of Public Health
District 4 Public Health
LAMAR COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
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Barneville, GA 30204
Phone (770)358-1483
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DR. SELL