Did you go to the pub over the weekend? Have you got a table booked at a local restaurant? Have you contacted your hairdresser for a cut or a colour?
We are now free to socialise within limits. We can engage in activities that we haven’t been able to for months. Have you embraced this with open arms or are you filled with apprehension and dread?
In two previous blogs I’ve discussed how social changes can bring anxiety to many of us. Some people may be well on their journey back to reintegration into their usual social fabric. Others will be struggling. Some will be anxious and fearful of contracting disease; some will be concerned about how ‘to be’ after such a long period of isolation, even with close friends and family.
There are lots of factors that determine how we feel and react to society opening up; its impossible to discuss all of these in a short blog. However, one aspect is a natural tendency to introversion and extroversion. Both tendencies can give rise to problems with re-integrating socially. Introverts may have been ‘living in their heads’ since lockdown started with lots of anxious thoughts stopping them from moving forward. Extroverts may have been tying themselves in knots with the lack of social contact since March and are embracing re-integration so whole-heartedly that they are exhausted in no time.
The advice for reintegration is to take things gently. Only commit to social interactions that you feel comfortable with and gradually build up the level and extent of contact. Pace yourself; don’t arrange so many get-togethers that you find yourself wiped out by the end of the day or weekend and don’t feel you have to commit to a social activity you don’t feel comfortable with.
As always, our Employee Assistance Programme support is there to help you with any anxieties or other problems that you are struggling with. There are also webinars and articles you can access from the website. If you ring the EAP you will immediately speak with a trained counsellor who will be happy to talk about whatever is bothering you. She/he will assess your needs and ensure that you get the support which will benefit you. Up to 8 sessions of counselling are available to each member of staff. Here is the contact information if you need it:
Employee Assistance Programme: login: uokent; password: university. Freephone: 0808 168 2143
‘What “Introvert” and “Extrovert” Really Mean’: Elizabeth Hopper on thoughtco.com
‘Difference Between Introvert and Extrovert’: Surbhi S on keydifferences.com
‘How to ease yourself back into socialising once lockdown lifts, according to psychologists’: Olivia Petter, The Independent
‘There’s A Reason Why Socialising Feels So Exhausting Right Now’: Natasha Hinde, Huffpost UK