There are many different ways that people are approaching the pandemic, but any way you slice it we are seeing, and interacting with fewer and fewer people. For introverts this is a dream come true, but for extroverts this can add immense stress and loneliness to an already difficult situation. During the CODIV-19 pandemic, we are inventing new ways to interact with people and groups. We are creating what I’ve heard some of my patients describe as “the new normal”, but that requires some trial and error, because we’ve never been in this situation before.
For my extroverts here are a few things that me and my extroverted friends are incorporating into our new normal:
Online:
- Some neighborhoods are organizing ways to check in on local neighbors. Many of these opportunities are listed on neighborhood Facebook pages, and/or NextDoor, another social media outlet geared exclusively toward specific neighborhoods.
- Check out a podcast called Someone to Tell it To which trains you how to listen, but also gives people a platform to tell their own stories. There is also FeelReal.net where you can engage in online community chats on various topics.
- I have enjoyed visiting with friends and family by teleconference, but I have just recently learned about games you can play while teleconferencing with family or friends! We have played Drawful 2 with friends, and my brother’s family loves the Jackbox Games Party Pack. This morning I ran across an article in The Independant that listed 5 other fun games you can play while on Zoom.
- Both locally and nationally there are some great online classes. I have an extrovert friend who signed up for Master Class online and she, her husband, and son are all taking classes on a variety of topics. She also took an online group writing class through LITerati.academy. The students actually interacted with each other and class facilitators during the class, listening to each others’ stories and giving feedback.
- Light, non-judgemental, silly Facebook groups can be really fun. I am trying to limit my social media, but there are two groups that I love to check in on because they are so fun, and NO DRAMA. Weird Second Hand Finds That Just Need to Be Shared, and Cooking Lounge.
In person:
- I have been walking in my neighborhood a lot and connecting with people. I love chatting with folks while standing 6 feet away! I’ve read about the greenway being very full these days. As an alternative, try checking out some of Roanoke’s awesome neighborhoods to walk through… many with wide streets, little traffic and only a handful of people around
As our new normal unfolds we’ll have to find ways to feed our extroverted souls. It is a learning process that will be stressful because we’re learning a new skill; how to be social, but distant. It will take work, but in the end connection is what will keep us sane.
-Katie