I’ll admit that the idea of working from home for a few weeks was appealing. And for a few weeks, it was great. But here we are, way more than a few weeks into this mess, and while some of you are basking in the glow of makeup-free faces, spotless homes, Pinterest-worthy homeschooling, and gourmet dinners, there is a whole category of your friends that are not okay.
Check on your extroverted friends, people. We are not okay.
We thrive on human interaction. We love leaving the house. We glow inside when people laugh at our jokes. We fill our socialization tanks with happy hours or Sunday brunches with the people we love. Let’s be honest – we love TARGET. And no, Target Drive-Up isn’t the same.
Even if you would happily sit pantsless, alone, in your living room for the rest of forever, here are a few ways you can touch base with your extroverted friends during this weird time of quarantine and isolation:
- Start a social media thread that gets people interacting – What’s For Dinner and Instant Selfie Challenge are a few I’ve enjoyed recently.
- Set up an online game of Cards Against Humanity! Good for a middle-of-the-telework-day chuckle!
- Social distancing via the web (Zoom, FB Video Chat, etc.) just isn’t the same. Meet up with your neighbors in a driveway happy hour with lawn chairs – more than six feet apart, of course.
- Send us a joke, funny meme, or video. One of the biggest struggles with being a natural extrovert is that you always wonder if people hate this as much as you do. Share some love!
- Drive-by for a quick hello from the car! I promise, the human interaction is desperately needed, and it’s hard for us to always be the ones reaching out, especially when we don’t know if you’re actually enjoying all this solitude. (Because, ew.)
Here’s the truth: I miss my friends. I miss my office. I miss our routine. Of course, I’m worried that all this is going to last a lot longer than anybody wants it to, and this will be the new normal, and I won’t be able to handle it. I need levity. I need a variety of humans in my life!
Extroverts – just remember to engage safely.
