Extroverts get their energy from interacting with other humans. In a time of social distancing and working remotely, extroverts have not been able to engage with the outside world. Chatting with co-workers over tea and congregating in the break room has ended and been replaced with the harrowing Zoom meeting. Nights out have stopped indefinitely, leaving you to re-watch Parks and Rec for the fifth time on a Friday night. Especially if you live on your own, the amount of human interaction you get is very limited and can cause some extroverts to go stir crazy. If you have been struggling with this, here are some tips to avoid cabin fever by increasing your social interaction at work, inspiration on virtual friend dates, and improving your home life.
Increase the Amount of Human Interaction at Work
Sitting at home alone without feeling the obligation to socialize sounds like an introvert’s dream, but for extroverts it’s your worst nightmare. Here are a couple tips to feel like you’re in the office again.
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Reach Out to Co-Workers to Have a Virtual Break Room
- Even the most introverted person must miss catching up with their co-workers by the water cooler. If you and your co-workers have been craving for social interaction that is not about work, see if you can coordinate syncing your break and lunch times together to chat.
- This also can help with giving yourself a brain break as when we work from home we tend to power through the day without breaks, which can harm productivity and general well-being. Bring back the camaraderie of the office by setting up a virtual break room.
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Voice Preference for Video Calls
- Hearing a voice over the phone is much different than speaking to someone through a webcam. Studies have shown that seeing the person you are talking to better mimics social interaction than a phone call. Opting for video calls help you feed your need to interact with humans.
- Let your co-workers and managers know that you prefer having Zoom, Skype, etc. meetings because it helps you feel like a normal person. While it is not the same thing, it can be a substitute.
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Listen to White Noise While You Work
- If you haven’t already, designate a work space in your home that is separated from your living space. Dividing your home into an entertainment, sleeping, living, and working space signals to your brain to get into certain modes that will help with productivity, sleep, and relaxation. If you like listening to the hustle and bustle of co-workers, check out this website that mimics the white noise of the office. There are other white noise generators you can explore like a coffee shop, library, etc. that can help you get into the grind of working.
Inspiration for Friend Dates
The weekly catch up dates with our friends have become mundane.
“What did you do this week?”
“Nothing, what about you?”
“Nothing, any new updates?”
“No, anything new with you?”
“Well, I tried working out again, but that failed quickly.”
And repeat that every week. There’s nothing new in our lives so you have to be proactive in creating new experiences so here are some tips on how to do that.
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Start a Virtual Club or Entertainment Night
- Do you miss talking about the movie you saw last week with your friends? Consider starting a virtual book, movie, video game, etc. club so that you can bring back discussion back into your life. It doesn’t even have to be a club, it can be an informal get together where you can stream a movie or TV show with your friends and then discuss it afterwards.
- These get-togethers can be formed as a club to make it structured, but if that is too complicated or formal just say it’s a movie/book night. The weeks can drone on before we realize we haven’t talked with a person in two weeks, so schedule a weekly date to have these events.
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Go on a Virtual Museum Tour
- We can’t physically go to museums anymore, but we can visit them virtually now. Bring friends along on a Zoom meeting and have someone share their screen so all of you can wander the halls of the world’s greatest museums from your couch.
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Do a Virtual Escape Room
- If you’ve never done an escape room before, it’s where you and a group of people are stuck in a room with clues for escaping and you have to escape within a certain time frame or you lose. These rooms are expensive, but you can now do the digital version with your friends remotely for free.
Improve Your Home Life
Breaking up your blasé home life will help you view your home as a place of entertainment instead of solitude. Incorporate these tips into your life and you will view quarantine as a time of discovery.
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Find a New Hobby
- Create spontaneity in your life by starting something new. These days, hobbies are seen as a waste of time but what is life you aren’t trying new things or doing what you love. Check out this article for cheap, easy hobbies that may spark your interest.
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Consider Online Counseling
- You may still have a job, house, family, and friends, but that doesn’t mean you have sound mental health. This is a confusing and isolating time for everyone and it can affect us in different ways. Even if you aren’t struggling with anything, talking to a professional about how the pandemic has affected you will help guide you during this time. Here are some online counseling services to help you find a therapist that understands you. Therapists can help you find new avenues to explore and improve your quality of life.
We hope these tips will help you cope with the isolation we have found ourselves in during quarantine. These substitutions don’t come close to true human interaction, but they can ease the craving to be around people. What tips will you incorporate into your life?
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