We’ve reached the end of this round of episodes on the subject of “Return to Normal Anxiety”. It has been quite the learning experience for me. Here’s where we learn about some calming techniques, or coping mechanisms, as well as identify resources that will make this journey as painless as possible.

SHOW NOTES are available for this episode.

Over the past couple of episodes, we’ve been discussing the personal and societal challenges of a return to normal, now that we are finally getting our arms around the situation. In today’s episode, we’ll figure out how to navigate our comfort levels. From there, we’ll determine our comfort zone to find out if we’re in a good place or not.

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When it comes to tips for coping with “Return to Normal Anxiety”, Dr. Garry Spink, at Rochester Regional Health in Rochester, NY suggests three. In this episode, we’ll take a closer look at the first tip: ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR (OR MY) ANXIETY. More to come in future episodes.

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As the number of people vaccinated increases and gathering restrictions are reduced, a level of reluctance to adjust back to pre-pandemic life has started to emerge. In this episode, we begin our search for ways of coping with "Return to Normal Anxiety".

SHOW NOTES are available for this episode.

Direct deposits are going in bank accounts. Vaccine shots are going in arms. Things are headed in the right direction. So why still the long faces?

While we still have reason to be cautious, to grieve, and to doubt, we should be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In this episode, I will try to explain why grumbling is a strategy that needs to be rendered powerless. Big ideas take time to become reality, with patience being the road to get us there.

SHOW NOTES are available for this episode.

In less than sixty days, the Biden Administration has accomplished quite a bit! The $1.9 billion Covid Recovery Bill was passed and signed into law. We are on the threshold of exceeding the President's goal of 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days! Competence and compassion are the new order of business.

In this episode, we will embark on the task of evaluating the performance of this administration as it seeks to reestablish the United States of America as the envy of the world. We will also take a look at the opposition and try to explain the logic of their arguments.

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It's in the contract. Typically, two or more parties compete for votes. The understanding is that whoever wins agrees to represent all constituents. But recent history suggests that's not the case. How do we get back to normal. We face our shortcomings head on! We must remind ourselves that there is more that unites us than to divide us. And we must do so quickly, because our real adversaries are watching our every move!

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I feel fortunate that my birthday (January 20th) also happens to be Inauguration Day. So, depending on who gets sworn in, it's either a cause for celebration or a reason to air my grievances for the next four years. Today, the former is the case!

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2020 was quite a wild ride! While we are assured to have a little more stability going forward, 2021 won't be a walk in the park either. In this episode, Ken will briefly touch upon some high and low lights of 2020, as well as a bright spot just over the horizon, the successful "Save Our Stages" campaign, spearheaded by the National Independent Venue Association! To find out more about NIVA, just visit: https://www.nivassoc.org/

SHOW NOTES are available for this episode.

While all of our attention should be on the rollout of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, we're still having to keep a sharp eye on the presidential election that took place over one month ago. With the challenges to the results all but exhausted, we find still ourselves sleep-deprived with elevated blood pressure readings as we try to anticipate the "next move".

In this episodes, I'd like to give a shout out to a couple of cities (Philadelphia, PA and Atlanta, GA) who withstood withering attacks to hold the line for the democratic process. And since numbers rarely lie, I've packed this episode with raw percentages to support my claim!

SHOW NOTES are available for this episode.