If I’m being completely honest, having to quarantine and social distance from people didn’t sound too bad in the early stages of this pandemic. As an introvert, I have a limit to how much social interaction I can handle until I need time by myself to recharge again. The thought of not having to hang out with anyone until the spread of the virus was under control seemed like a pretty good deal to me. Months later, however, I’ve discovered that being able to avoid socializing without making an excuse is not as great as it seems.
In the last few months, more people have reached out to catch up and reconnect with me than at any other time in my life. I’m extremely grateful to be able to talk so often with friends and family because I realize that not everyone has been so lucky and has that privilege. Nonetheless, spending hours each day on video chats is more tiring than I anticipated. It doesn’t help that there’s no plethora of reasons to turn down a phone call when I’m sitting at home anyways. How do you tell someone you can’t chat with them because you need some alone time, when you are, in fact, alone at home all day?
Having so much technology and social media readily available to us leads to a feeling of being fully connected to everyone at all times, which frankly isn’t healthy. I can’t deny that FaceTime and Zoom are amazing for bringing people together, but for many introverts like myself, it makes it nearly impossible to be unplugged from the online world, which can be extremely draining. It seems as if everyone on social media is finding ways to be productive at home like learning new hobbies or working on a glow-up, which sometimes makes me feel guilty for spending my free time unwinding. Seeing everyone on social media learning new hobbies and working towards glow-ups in their spare time often makes me feel guilty for using my free time to recharge.
My social interaction threshold is now half of what it used to be. It is increasingly difficult to find ways to regain energy when the places that were once used to relax are suddenly also being used for work and productivity. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, I had no problem spending my energy out with friends because I knew it meant I would get to relax at home once my social battery died. Now, I feel trapped doing practically everything from the comfort of my home because my brain is unable to distinguish between times I should be working and times I need to take a break.
When the pandemic hit the United States, the running joke for many was that us introverts have been training our whole lives for this. On a surface level, sure, working from home and taking online classes from my bedroom is great. However, the misconception that this is somewhat of an ideal lifestyle for introverts could not be farther from the truth. 2020 has been hard on everyone thus far, no matter your personality type. My advice to other introverts is to spend as much time as possible unplugged from your phone and laptop. With some of our most essential and everyday tasks being completed digitally, it doesn’t take a lot to feel overstimulated. A good lesson overall, but especially for introverts in 2020, is that it’s better to communicate your feelings with those around you instead of fearing judgment and being misunderstood.