FORT WORTH, Texas — Dr. Marta Otero is a Fort Worth psychologist who says pandemic problems and fears are at the forefront of her appointments these days.
But the latest issue sprouting up, she says, centers around people's disappointment in other people's decisions on whether to continue to stay home or to venture back into public.
Over recent weeks, Texas has slowly started to reopen, and people can now visit restaurants, stores, the salon and, soon, gyms.
"A lot of people are getting frustrated if one side does not agree with the other, and it’s causing a lot of strife," Dr. Otero said, adding that strife can be on social media, at home or among friends. "It’s quite frankly something I haven’t seen before, where people are literally fighting if they don’t share their same opinion."
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WFAA asked Otero how people can reconcile the disappointment or judgment they might feel when they don't think what their spouse, friend or neighbor is doing is right.
"I think the person has to step back and ask themselves, if that person put their expectations onto the other person, how would they feel?" she said.
"If one person doesn’t want to leave the house, then they should be respected to stay at home. If one person wants to leave the house, they should also be respected to leave the house."
Dr. Otero says now is a good time to practice letting go and realizing you can only control yourself.
"We have no control what another human being does, as long as it’s within the confines of the law. So as long as they’re not breaking the law, we really don’t have any say and we just have to take care of ourselves and do what we feel is best for us," she said.
"Texas is reopening, so we can’t demand the other person live by another person’s beliefs system."
It might take practice, she says, but it'll help you avoid conflict, both internal and external, as we try to live safely in pandemic times.
More on WFAA:
- LIST: Gym and fitness studios that plan to reopen on Monday
- As school districts plan to open for the fall semester, the question isn't when, but how
- When salons reopen, here's what you need to know | Q&A with Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Texas told store owners they could reopen Friday. So, did they?