What Will Our Social Interactions Be Like, Post-Pandemic?

Introverts have had it easier during lock-down:

As an introvert, the social isolation hasn’t been as hard on me as it might have been on others. My personal trainer is a true extrovert and for her, the isolation was oppressive. She had to get really creative in order to survive the lock-downs. We’ve had our sessions on FaceTime this past year, and that’s worked well for us.

I was thinking about some of my patients who make me look like a social butterfly. These are individuals who have difficulties interacting with other people at the best of times. A few of them told me that the lock downs were a relief, because they didn’t have the pressure of having to try to relate to others.

As much of a relief it might have been for the socially awkward, I’m not sure the isolation has done them any good. Any muscle that we don’t use will begin to atrophy.

Extroverts have been withdrawing in despair:

Even some extroverts in my therapy practice have told me that they’ve become so despondent after months of lock-down that they’ve started withdrawing socially. One person told me that he felt he had nothing to say and that he preferred to just be quiet. That can’t be a good thing when being with other people is what recharges your batteries.

Even though I’m an introvert, I need my small group of loved ones and I’ve made an effort to keep in touch with everyone over the past several months. It’s not the same as being face-to-face but it’s a lot better than no contact at all.

But what about the people who haven’t been working so hard to keep their relationships fresh over the past several months? How will things be for them when the restrictions have lifted and life returns to more-or-less normal?

Zoom meetings don’t demand the same degree of presence as face-to-face meetings do. Many of us can check out in a zoom meeting. We can mute ourselves or even turn off the video. We can avoid the social interactions that are made more challenging by the technology.

Are we going to be more socially awkward, post-pandemic?

When we return to in-person relationships will many of us be socially awkward after so many months of not exercising our social skills muscle? Maybe, and that’s why it’s important to take advantage of every opportunity to connect, whether it’s socially distanced walks or backyard visits, or having regular and meaningful conversations with loved ones.

Social awkwardness is the potential downside to months of pandemic-enforced isolation. There is an upside, however. After over a year of not seeing many people in-person, we have an opportunity to rethink the way we interact with them, moving forward.

If you used to be an irritable, impatient person, perhaps you’ve had some time to reflect on how this way of interacting might not be working for you.

If you’re a supervisor who was prone to micro-managing, and you’ve seen that productivity has actually increased since the lock-downs, it might be time to re-think your managerial style.

If you’re a former people-pleaser who was becoming exhausted and frustrated by the constant efforts to make everyone around you happy, whether in your personal life or at work, perhaps this past year has shown you what a relief it is not to have to try so hard. Maybe you’ll want to try just being yourself, post-pandemic.

An opportunity for self-reinvention:

The social isolation has provided us with a unique opportunity to reinvent ourselves. We can be more conscious and deliberate about how we return to our personal and professional relationships, once the lock downs have been lifted. We can try on a social persona that is potentially a lot more successful and fulfilling

Every time we step away from a relationship, we have a chance to rethink things and come back with a fresh perspective. After over fourteen months of social isolation, we’re empowered to consider the person who we used to be, socially, and to decide if this is the person we want to be, moving forward.

Freedom from social traps:

Sometimes we get stuck in social roles and social ruts. These can be like prisons, trapping us in patterns of interaction that don’t make anyone happy; especially not ourselves. The advantage of so many months of isolation is that we’ve been freed from these traps.

We can go back to our relationships, both personal and professional, and interact in ways that work better for everyone. As painful and lonely as it has been because of the lock- downs, the silver lining is that we have a chance to start over, to start fresh.

Now that things are opening up, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your personal and professional relationships. Were they working well for you or is it time for a change?

Take advantage of the pandemic-provided reboot so that you can be an even better version of yourself in your relationship in the post-pandemic world.

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