When fear becomes the new normal

28/03/2026

During long-term crisis situations, a dangerous phenomenon starts to occur. Something that used to be terrifying slowly turns into a part of daily life. In the beginning, it’s challenging for people to receive constant news updates, notifications, and abrupt changes. They feel stressed, restless, and hyper- vigilant. However, as time passes, they start to say, “I got used to it.”

This response is mistaken for resilience. It’s not. The Civil Service Commission issued a circular mandating all government bodies to allow no more than 30% of employees to work from the office while the remaining employees work from home. It also instructed them to modify their working hours accordingly.

The circular is absolutely necessary. However, it also shows that people are expected to carry on with their lives despite the crisis. The human mind is capable of adapting to any situation, including chronic stress.

One of its favorite ways to deal with it is to normalize it. It tones down the emotional response not because the situation has become less critical but because it can’t sustain a state of panic for a long time. That’s the problem. When fear becomes the new normal, people’s emotional awareness diminishes. They carry on with their tasks, meetings, emails, and daily chores while carrying some level of stress they’re not fully aware of.

The automatic answer to “how are you?” becomes “I’m fine” even if that’s not entirely true. There’s a thin line between resilience and emotional numbing. Resilience is being able to function while acknowledging the stress. Emotional numbing is a disconnection from one’s feelings as a defense mechanism for dealing with it. They look similar on the outside, but they’re vastly different on the inside. In many organizations, the difference between the two is blurred. The same level of productivity, responsiveness, and outcome is expected from employees regardless of the external circumstances. This isn’t a matter of being weak or strong. It’s being human. Under these circumstances, leadership becomes extremely important.

Decisions like modifying work policies such as working hours and allowing remote work are a step in the right direction, but they must be accompanied by something equally important, which is awareness. A “business as usual” attitude can inadvertently add to the numbness. What people are looking for right now isn’t motivation or more productivity but clarity, reassurance, and a sense of stability.

Clear communication, realistic expectations, and the opportunity to express themselves freely can go a long way. On a personal level, awareness is equally important. Carrying on with life as usual isn’t the issue. Carrying on with life while ignoring the state of the mind and heart is. A few minutes of self-reflection to assess one’s mental and emotional well-being can save a person from long-term burnout.

Adaptation is a part of being human. However, it shouldn’t come at the expense of awareness. Because when fear becomes the new normal, the aim isn’t just to keep functioning. It’s to keep being present, aware, and human.

By Hala Bader Al Humaidhi