It blows my mind that in 2019 it was totally normal to commute to work five days a week, have two weekday lunches with friends, a happy hour with colleagues, dinner with a friend after work, and a birthday party or baby shower on the weekend. Plus the usual life maintenance stuff like grocery shopping, errands, phone calls, and maybe even an exercise class or two (maybe). Phew! šµāš«
Nowadays it feels like the pandemic-era version of me needs a day or two (or three) to recover after just ONE of those social activities. The energy I have available for all the hubbub is lower, but my social appetite is also lower. I don't need as much socializing now, and since my āsocial appetiteā has shrunk, I get a feeling of fullness from a smaller serving. Like how if you cut out sugar for a week, then a bite of a brownie will seem excessively sweet.
According to the poll above that I ran on Twitter recently, this feeling is trending. And it makes sense considering how the last two years pulled our focus towards just the pods of people we felt safe with (or our houseplants if we weren't lucky enough to be in a pod).
To be clear, this change in my own social stamina is totally fine with me, since it doesn't feel lonely, empty, or like anything I really crave is missing. As an introvert, I appreciate the simplicity of a quieter social calendar. The rushed and full pace of life that I kept up with pre-pandemic often left me exhausted, craving more peace and solitude.
How about you, First name / homies? If you've noticed that your stamina for socializing, gatherings, and even one-on-one hangouts ain't what it used to be, don't beat yourself up about it. But if the connection-n-social life you have right now isn't meeting your emotional needs, just remember that it IS possible to change that. Figure out if you need more connection, or a different type of connection, then take some baby steps in that direction.
