Ah, I love you guys. My little extroverted buddies. You beg me to come to school events, call you on the phone, and just get more outside of my shell. Which I don’t but I appreciate the effort.
I appreciate you guys IMMENSELY.
So, I can’t imagine how hard this whole pandemic has been. I guess I could liken it to a 45+ day party that ALMOST. NEVER. ENDS.
Now, quick fact: not all introverts are crying with happiness. Despite popular belief, we do love our fellow humans and need to get out. (In fact, these past two weeks I haven’t been out AT ALL and I’ve definitely been more moody.)
So, social butterfly buddies: how can you cope with this loneliness? (P.S. If you’re an introvert, I have a post on loneliness for you too!)
Schedule regular FaceTime or Zoom calls.
Plan it just like you would a party or study time. Put it in your planner and ask friends to do it weekly so it’s not a constant, “Hey, you free?” session.
I didn’t even know Zoom EXISTED until the pandemic. It’s opened up doors to getting to meet some new pals in person! I got the immense privilege of meeting Mahayla, founder of Bold Girl Ministry, and Stephanie of Love Light Stories.
Get outside!
Grab a sibling for a walk or just go by yourself (or your doggo).
Plan a picnic for your family. You can go all out, beloved! Blankets, sandwiches, balloons, hey: no rules here. Invite me!! I *might* come. (For inspiration, check out this one I planned all by my lonesome)
Suntan on the back porch. Yeah. Like a bona fide redneck.
Start a garden. I so so so want to do this . . . but I have summer plans. If they fall through, you can bet I’ll be outside in the soil.
Go for a drive!
Volunteer to get groceries for the fam. This way you can also sneak that chocolate pudding and those chocolate-covered-pretzel-flavored pop tarts into the cart. Now that, my friend, is true power.
Pick up dinner from a local restaurant. Once again, POWER. As driver, you get two votes regarding where you’ll be eating, amiright?
Check up on your favorite local bakeries or shops. We have some great stores in my town where you can pick up books, plants, or cupcakes (or probably even an assortment of all of them).
Bond with the fam.
Oh yeah. The awkward, the weird, the FAMILY UNIT.
Plan a game night. I can’t get my dad to do this for the life of me, but more power to you.
Plan a movie night. I think of this and I think POPCORN and SNACKS and I just get so happy. Do a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings marathon for extra bonus points.
Time.
To.
VEG.
Do a fun run. (Some of my friends had never heard of this before; it’s where you go out at a weird time of night and get weird food you only eat when it’s a weird time of the night and it sounds good; like Taco Bell or Little Caesars.) My family did this tonight. Order cheap pizzas (Hello, Little Caesars), breadsticks, and then stop by a dessert place for milkshakes. My family did this tonight and boy did we PARTY!
Be creative with social distancing.
Some people are really trying and I applaud them. I just smile from the windows of my house and salute all you brave souls.
Some people have lunch together from their porches.
Some camp out in parking lots and talk from their open trunks.
The rule is six feet apart, peeps; be creative!
