I try not to talk much about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic on my blog posts, especially when we take into account the worldwide lock-down that has occurred as a result. It just doesn't help my mental state at all. I would prefer to just talk about stuff to look forward and stuff I like such as my obsession with Death Battle!, my excitement over the upcoming Jackbox Party Pack 7 and things that I'm normally not obsessed with but have taken a recent interest to.
However, it is important that I make reference to said quarantine anyway, as it strongly links with the argument I am making in this article. Obviously, we all know that the main important lesson about the pandemic is that some world leaders are just idiots, but we can't get political here. So here's the main message I would like to get out there.
We live in an extroverted society. With the possible exception of Scandinavia, most countries tend to pressure people into connecting more with others. They have to use social media, they have to attend the latest events, they have to have loads of friends. If you're an introvert or loner on the other hand, the main assumption is that you're some tragic freak who wears goth clothes and needs to be "cured" of your loneliness. After all, people are stronger when they're together, right? And why would you want to be cooped-up inside all day not doing anything "special"?
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| A completely accurate and realistic depiction of an introvert...according to extroverts. (Note: Picture from Pokemon X And Y.) |
It seems that most people have a bad case of FOMO (a.k.a. fear of missing out). It mainly involves feeling anxious about not being part of some major social event, such as parties, conventions or just hanging out with others in general. I guess the idea is that if you're not getting involved in these events on a day to day basis, you're not cool enough. So apparently people who prefer to have alone time are not cool either.
Of course, we can't do any of that at the moment. Conventions have been cancelled, theatres and cinemas have been shut down and other upcoming social events have had to be held off. Extroverts can't get outside the same way that they could before the lock-down. They now have to live the same lifestyle that they suspect that introverts do until everything opens up again.
I was talking to my mother about this a few weeks back when we were coming back from a walk. Her prediction is that some people who were originally extroverts could possibly become agoraphobics in response to the lock-down. Having spent several months cooped up inside their own houses and having to distance themselves from other people, they will likely be uneasy about going outside again and going near said people again.
Quite likely, some of those new agoraphobics will be ones who previous mocked other people for not being extroverted like they were. This obviously won't be the case with everyone, but it will be for some of them.
There is however a small solution to this. It may not help out in the long-term, but it can help you feel better in the short term.
The opposite of FOMO is JOMO (a.k.a. joy of missing out), which was coined by the tech blogger Anil Dash (here's his blog here - it has some really interesting stuff about technology and mental health). Essentially, it's about having time to yourself and mindfulness, in contrast to worrying about trying to stay connected. As an ambivert (a cross between an extrovert and an introvert), I've taken on this philosophy myself and let me tell you, it works wonders. I still keep in contact with friends and family, but I don't feel forced to "catch up" with what's "hot" at the moment.
So here's my advice. Try to take some time to yourself for once. Try not to get too fussed up about events you may be missing out on. You can still find ways to keep in contact with others if you want to, but don't let it pressure you. Good friends will acknowledge that we all need our alone time at some point. Find some stuff you can do by yourself such as reading some good books, drawing or watching online videos. Additionally, find some good films or TV programmes that you can enjoy by yourself, or some good video games. If you are able to get out of the house as well, try and visit someplace like the woods where you can get some private time to yourself, possibly to meditate and think about more positive things. Hopefully, this takes away all of the stress of not being able to connect with others as easily.
Most importantly of all, I hope this makes us all understand the situation of introverts better. May it make us realise that we shouldn't be mocking introverts for the lifestyles they lead, and instead we should be more considerate as to why they may be like that, as well as how they're not that different from others as a whole. There's nothing wrong with being extroverted at all, but please understand that there's nothing wrong with being an introvert either. Or an ambivert for that matter.
