This post-pandemic reentry feels incredibly strange to me. We have had an intense and essentially virtual existence since early 2020. That could mean endless meetings over Zoom, in which we may capitalize on time yet miss the perspective gained by the downtime of walking from one meeting place to another.

It creates an atmosphere — minus spontaneous chats or hugs — with no permission to let go of the workday. It saps one’s brain chemistry of all that is soothing. Maybe you have noticed these things, too. In response, I have begun pacing myself, taking time to intentionally relax, pause and check out what is happening inside.

This is why I want to introduce to you Dr. Lisa Damour and Pam Dunn, two of the speakers at Re-Entry: A Parenting Conference for Navigating the Post-Pandemic New Normal. They will address just what we need to know to set our own unique pace and to assist our children in setting theirs throughout this challenging transition.

Damour is the go-to expert on anxiety, particularly in adolescent girls.

Her two books — Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood and Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls — are brilliant. Her

Ask Lisa podcast is a comforting mix of mom conversation and professional guidance, which she also offers up in interviews on CBS News.

At the conference, she will guide us on reentry anxiety, both what to know and what to do. It could be what your child feels as he or she thinks of returning to the classroom. It could be what you feel considering child care outside your home for the first time in over 16 months. It could be the tapped-out exhaustion felt by a teacher following the most draining year in their career.

We can pass Damour’s guidance on to our children because they will be looking to us to light the way. Children need a space to talk about their experience.

Unless we, the adults, take the time to notice and consider our own experience, we will not be that guiding light. We will all be fumbling in the dark.

Dunn, the CEO of Your Infinite Life Training & Coaching Co., will take self-care far beyond the ordinary recommendation of a bubble bath in her presentation, “A Cup of Tea Isn’t Enough — Embracing the Four Pillars of Self-Care.”

Dunn has an amazing ability to get to the root of a situation with grace and reverence for those with whom she works. She presents profound concepts simply, elegantly and with great clarity.

Dunn is the author of Journey to Your Soul’s Magnificence — What a Di≠erence a Year Makes as well as It’s Time to Look Inside — To See Yourself and Everyone through the Lens of Magnificence.

By following Dunn’s guidance in caring for all aspects of ourselves — a holistic approach to self-care — we not only show our children how to fully take care of themselves, but we also pave the way to show up responsively rather than reactively to maintain our health and to experience a wonderful sense of well-being. This is especially needed during times of change and challenge.

Please join us Aug. 7 for Re-Entry: A Parenting Conference for Navigating the Post-Pandemic New Normal. The conference is virtual and available nationally. Registration is free through Eventbrite. I am excited to be your host.

ON THE WEB

◆ For more information about the reentry conference, Re-Entry: A Parenting Conference for Navigating the Post-Pandemic New Normal, visit re-entry21.eventbrite.com.