Promise of vaccine brings emotional relief

It's been a year since the coronavirus swept across the world, people went into quarantine, offices went dark and the world shut down. As COVID-19 vaccines roll out, many say the

promise of some normalcy gives them the mental strength to hold out a bit longer — even if they don't yet have access to a shot. Avid hiker Jamie Gold, 60, is busily training to climb

Mount Kilimanjaro, a trip she's already postponed once. While she hasn't gotten the vaccine, she is hopeful she'll get it in time to make her momentous trek in December. The

possibility of that trip provides something exciting to anticipate. "I'm trying to patiently wait and stay as safe as possible,” she says. Gold is not alone in her feelings. Even

those who have not yet received the vaccine are making a mental shift for the first time in a year. They're planning reunions with friends and family, booking travel, and anticipating

the cautious resumption of daily activities. There's a feeling that an end of some sort is in sight as they wait their turn for a dose. During the pandemic, many people “have felt as

though the goalposts have been getting moved backwards over and over again, with little hope of returning to some semblance of normal life,” says Summer Thompson, a family psychiatric and

mental health nurse practitioner. The vaccine is an infusion of optimism. A DOSE OF POSITIVITY ON THE WAY Drew Harris, 52, a Chicago-based professional organizer, and his husband are avid

travelers, but the two haven't gone for more than short road trips since the pandemic began. Harris has been extremely careful throughout the last year, but as COVID-19 cases decline he

is starting to resume some of his pre-pandemic behaviors, including dining indoors at restaurants that are implementing safety measures. Although his turn for a vaccine is likely to be a

few months away, watching others receive doses makes him feel like looking forward. Harris wants to plan the couple's first plane trip in May to celebrate his husband's 50th

birthday. "I am starting to feel more relaxed about the return to some sense of normalcy,” he says. “It's exciting.”