Alright you, my extroverted friends.
I see you, too.
I haven’t forgotten about y’all.
We already talked about how the introverted soul can survive this, now we’ve come to your rescue, too – And I know you need help so let’s dive into it.
I know this seems like an impossible task more often than not these days.
Cause you miss the people.
You haven’t been able to do the daily happy hour, the impromptu office lunch, or the weekend bash.
Or all of it in one day.
You haven’t met anyone at the water fountain other than your barely dressed five-year old or your yet-to-shower-and-get-ready-for-the-day-spouse even though it’s six o’clock. In the evening.
You have been productive all right.
By the time Wednesdays night hits, you are completely done with your week’s worth of goals and objectives.
Never before seen phenomenon in your world.
The problem is, you are not happy about it.
Not happy at all.
The only reason you were able to pull that off is – and that’s what’s killing you (ever so softly, or not) – you haven’t had the necessary interruptions and office chatter.
So, just do it – Reach out to people
Reach out to people from work.
As un-ideal as it might be, schedule that Zoom office happy hour and make people pinky-swear that work will not be discussed ‘at the door’.
Reach out to people from school.
Get a hold of the people who you’d normally do this with, whatever this is.
Chances are they are in the very same boat you are – and missing this getting-your-groove-on piece just as much.
They will be happy to hear from you and – surprise, surprise – even grateful for not only normalizing it but also for making it happen.
Reach out and be the one to organize a family hangout on google hangouts for all to see and enjoy.
Make up a game to go along with it.
Necessity is the mother of invention, always.
Connect with people on a people level.
And – this once (and maybe you’ll get into a groove with it) – but for now, this once, don’t worry about other people’s perception.
So what if they think that you are needy?
You are needy. You need human contact. We all do.
You just need it more so than others.
There’s nothing to be ashamed for here.
Nada. Zilch.
Make it your mission this week and next.
If you live alone, this is going to be key for you.
When the day’s work is over – and you change from your daytime pajamas into your evening pajamas, and you want to tell someone all the things, that’s when you do it.
Get that friend on the phone and talk.
As in talking on the phone the old-fashioned way, yes.
I know, it’s kind of old-school.
But it works.
I also know – you need more than just one friend.
Call three of them then. Or five. Patch them right through.
Pretend it’s the 80s and you are still sitting on the floor, with the cord plugged in the wall two rooms away. It will spice things up 🙂
You’ve known each other long enough that your group of peeps will not stand you up.
Even if it’s not a Friday night.
You can have movie night, too, while you are at it.
Or do that movie marathon you’ve always planned on doing.
And because it’s the phone, you don’t ever have to worry about counting how many days you have been in that outfit you’re wearing, or whether or not you can pull those yoga pants off or what your hair or face look like.
Because it doesn’t matter.
That’s your Bonus win.
That calendar of yours, remember it?
I want you to pull it up.
I know you canceled ALL the things.
All the events – I saw you do it.
We did think it was going to be no more than two weeks of this, originally.
(Joke’s on us all.)
Here’s what you gotta do for yourself – We gotta bring that baby back to life!
We gotta revive that calendar of yours.
Your events, we gotta get back to creating them cause – guess what? – they are back on.
I know, I know – you can’t go check out that new brewery in person – What’s the next best thing?
Get the same kind of wine or beer and drink it at your house while you play a game (even if it’s a different game at each house)
Get that book club back on the calendar.
You can certainly read still.
And – guess what?
You can drink wine, even if it’s by yourself in your physical space – but with friends on the phone.
Conference call it, Google Hangout it, Skype it even, I don’t care. You just gotta make it happen.
You know how you could surprise them all?
Have a bottle of your favorite red sent to their house.
Or, if you are REALLY bored, like – I finished Netflix sort of bored – Drive around town, deliver them yourself, and leave them at the door.
You can even do the good ol’ ‘Ring the door bell and run to hide before they can see you’ trick on them.
I guarantee you they will love it more than they did in high school.
And no-one will complain.
Speaking of your calendar.
I know you get lazy when life is easy and flowing just right.
You have all these connection moments sprinkled through your day with no effort necessary.
You walk by the kitchenette – And there they are.
You are on your way back from a meeting, and there they are again.
You have mastered the art of swinging by, popping in and stopping over.
Some might call you a cheater for that – for having it served right in front of you on a platter, all. the. time.
The problem is – you have gotten so used to this happening a dozen times a day that now, when it’s not happening on autopilot, you are panicking twice that many times a day, desperately trying to find the answer to no avail.
Here’s the deal.
You will have to reach out to those people. Give it some thought.
Who is it that you normally see during the week?
Who is it that you miss seeing the most?
What are the conversations you really enjoy having and with whom?
What can you see yourself replicating outside of the office?
Who would all that be comfortable with, regardless of the GPS location?
Once you get that down, contact those people.
Be intentional about who you reach out to and plan it.
Yes, as in plan ahead.
I know, some of you are gonna tell me that you suck at planning. And at organizing.
Well, guess what?
This Coronavirus situation is going to do you a solid.
Teach you how to.
Really quick.
And you can monetize that until the day you die.
(And no, I am not just talking to my husband here. Ok, maybe.)
If you haven’t already, learn how to Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, Slack, Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, Zoom, all of it.
I almost should’ve started with this one.
There are SO many, and they can be SO useful.
Or, if you are technologically challenged, pick one and stick with that one.
Have others learn the one you know, obviously.
Use all the things and connect with all the people.
Schedule a morning coffee with a friend.
Get your workout done in community (even if it’s in an online room).
Create an event just so people get together.
Celebrate your dog’s birthday and invite all the people to a Zoom call, even if your dog’s birthday is in October.
And, call mom & dad.
And your mom’s BFF.
They will love you for it.
And you will get some time in with people you care about, seeing faces of the people you love instead of having to just have your own face staring back at you for the millionth time.
Foreign exchange students, grandparents, host parents, cousins, other family members, former pastors and their wives, your favorite bosses from twenty years ago, your deans from college – Which reminds me of the last idea.
When it comes to a survival guide for the extroverted soul – Playing a game online with your buddies – So I am told – works pretty slick.
It’s not ideal but, from what I understand – and I am told this by a pretty trusted source – you can play a game and talk at the same time.
Have some entertainment and a conversation too.
Replace the college or grad school reunions with something like that.
You’ll love it.
I wouldn’t know – but you’ll just have to trust them.
If your inability to be the center of attention is part of the pain point – I have a fool-proof remedy for that.
It’ll be a plus if you are a dad.
Gather up all the stuffed animals in the house, get them situated on the couch in your living or family room, one next to the other, nicely – and then –
Have at it.
Turn up the music and dance away.
Make your own disco light selection.
If you don’t like dancing, put on a play.
Play your favorite instrument (best if imaginary), and rock it.
Real is cool too, she said.
Extra credit for videos posted to our Facebook Page. That way we can make sure you are doing it right.
PS: Whatever you do, remember that we are, truly, in this together.
And if you have a very extroverted friend who might be in need of this caliber of a survival guide for the extroverted soul for themselves, do them a solid and share.
They will love and thank you for it.
You can’t hold it against them forever.
