It’s created a feeling of whiplash from the relief they felt when vaccines became widely available several months ago. Now, the delta variant has some wondering if they should opt to home-school their children, delay their return to the office or reschedule the wedding they had already postponed.

Beneath this anxiety — and its unwelcome return — is uncertainty, said Lynn Bufka, senior director of practice transformation and quality at the American Psychological Association.

“We thought we had this figured out collectively, and now we’re realizing, ‘Oh, we don’t. There’s a lot that can still go wrong,’” Bufka said. “You’re in this place of, ‘I thought I had a breather from feeling anxious and now I’m back to questioning things.’ That can be emotionally exhausting.”