Among Friends

[Desert Lily]

@house_cat I think there's a significant difference between being an introvert and experiencing complete isolation due to the dangers of the pandemic. I have an introverted personality, but not a reclusive one. I don't feel any pressure relief from expectations of social interaction during these extraordinary times. I miss my loved ones. I miss going out into the world.

[RedTop]

I feel like the pandemic is forcing the majority of people to live the lifestyle I embrace.   

I love staying home, am not a social person, and still see everyone I want to see.   Before retiring I changed my shopping habits, so I'm used to going 1-3 months between major grocery runs. 

I have coped with the pandemic as well as possible; my family has had struggles.   My husband has had a major adjustment with staying home and not seeing friends and family 3x a week, teacher daughters stress is thru the roof, and trucker daughter has been doing run after run to keep up with demand.  I want them to be able to return to their normal.   

[pitdakota]

I am not an introvert by any means but I have done quite well during the pandemic & it has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself for sure & learn other ways to connect with those meaningful in our lives.

During the hard shut down here I quickly realized the difference in  air pollution, light pollution, and noise level.  It was incredible at times to sit on our porch after sunset and see the number of stars in the sky that weren't readily visible before due to all the light pollution.  With so many busineses shut down they turned off their lights and even cut down on the number of lights on in parking lots.  It really did get dark here and helped me appreciate just how much all those lights impact the view of the sky at night.

I actually kind of like the slower pace and think a lesson I will take forward when things do finally get moving along again is that I need to take time to just chill and enjoy doing something at home. 

Thanksgiving was very different for us, especially since I didn't cook for the first time in many years.  This Christmas will be different as well.  However, I fall back on it is just this one time.  It is  one Thanksgiving, one Christmas.  Just doesnt seem like such a big sacrifice when I look at it as this one holiday in order to benefit not only my family, but others out there that I don't even know.  

I realize that not everyone feels that way and certainly appreciate it is hard on others.  It goes without saying that all of us will be glad when we will all be glad to get back to a more normal state.  

[house_cat]

Thanks, everyone, for your honest and thoughtful responses to my post.  It's nice to hear different perspectives.  

I do think that many people are misled by the word "introvert". The term shouldn't imply that introverts are anti-social or awkward around people.  I, for instance, am a teacher. I love my job and I love spending my days surrounded by the enthusiasm and energy of young people. I think I have a nice personality, lots of friends and no enemies I can think of... but when I get home,  I'm drained from it. I rarely plan any social events on work days. There's only so much "peopling" I can do in a day and I need to recharge. 

Generally speaking, if you need solitude to recharge, you're an introvert. If you recharge around other people, you're an extrovert, and of course there are lots and lots of "verts" in between, lol.

[ECBG]

@house_cat 

Karen, I'm sure you feel "zapped" some days as I did when I taught.  It's ok.  Everyone deserves "down time" to live their life because we shouldn't just work.

I would disappear with a book or magazine at times to just from work and extend family poison to diffuse.

[VaBelle35]

There is a great book by Susan Cain called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

It really helped me understand my introversion and that I am not alone.

It's a very interesting book.

I did the audio book.

[shoesnbags]

This is the first time in his 43 years that my son is not able to spend Christmas with us, so I can't see any upside to this at all.  I'm not an overly social person, but this is the opposite extreme.😢

[topcat10]

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@VancouverUSAgal wrote:

My grown son is an introvert and has been living working from home - he gets more done and is less tired at end of day. Constant noise in the office exhausted him. He is dreading going back to the office when this is over. 

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I'm right there with your son....but the crazy thing is, I only process internet claims and our office is not open to the public (so my job can be done full-time from home)....we had questioned this for the past 6 yrs and we were always brushed off...but in March, they bent over backwards to set us up so that we continued to process claims....we do the exact same thing that we did in the office other than physically touching incoming mail (which the three supervisors are in the office doing  )....they are not giving us any indication of returning, so I'm hoping it is no time soon if we do end up going back.

[Lilysmom1]

@house_cat , I am pretty good at keeping myself entertained.  I have lots of projects to work on and usually have no problem keeping busy.

This year, it is kind of nice to give the Christmas house parties a pass.  I am usually ok when I get there but I confess some times I don't feel like going.  It is a bit hard to miss as the parties are usually put on by immediate neighbours.

On the volunteer side, one thing I am not enjoying is working by Zoom calls or Microsoft Team.  I have grown to hate these and look forward to the end of them.  Especially difficult if you have some difficult issues to address.

All in all, we are very lucky where I am with few cases for which I am very grateful.  I look forward to the time when things get back to normal.  S aka Lilysmom

[dannystevenson1]

I hear ya loud and clear!!!