5 Reasons Why Socializing Again is Harder than You Think

By: Anagha S.

It seems like just yesterday that the WHO announced the novel coronavirus situation as an official pandemic. Since then, so many things have happened that it’s hard to keep track. 

But, now with schools reopening, and people going back to work, it’s hard not to think, “Is this nightmare finally over?’. The truth is, it’s harder than you think to try to resume the life you once lived.

 Why? 

Well, that’s what this blog post is for. I’m Anagha, the creator of Ana Health Avenue, and today I’m going to tell you 5 reasons why socializing in person again affects our mental health. If you want to learn more, then keep reading.

Table of Contents

• It’s Hard to Go Back to Socializing
• This Pandemic has Caused Feelings of Depression and Anxiety
• Safety Issues
• We Want to Make Excuses for not Socializing
• Some of Us Have Lost Our Faith in Humanity
• Summary of Socializing
• Sources

It’s Hard to Go Back to Socializing

We live in an age of technology, thus keeping in touch during a pandemic was easy. But, there were so many things going on in the world that keeping in touch with your friends was put on the back burner. 

Now, when people are starting to socialize again, lots of us are still not ready because we’ve been keeping to ourselves for so long that it seems natural. All the complaints at the beginning about not getting any social interaction, all the weekly Zoom calls to check in with your friends, all that started to dwindle as we progressed further into this pandemic. 

And that’s completely understandable. 

But, now, for our mental health, we all need to start slowly and steadily crawl out of the shells we’ve been living in these past few months, and treat ourselves to some well deserved social interaction.

This Pandemic has Caused Feelings of Depression and Anxiety

About half of the adult population in the United States will be diagnosed with a mental health problem at one point in their life. Depression rates amongst teens have been rising for quite some time now.

 And this was before the coronavirus pandemic. 

Now, feelings of loneliness and stress about what’s happening in the world are causing feelings of anxiety and depression to arise. This is a major factor in the fact that people are finding it hard to socialize again. 

Now, if you need to take some time for yourself to work out your mental health, and you want to take a break from people for a while, that’s what’s best for you. 

But, for some of you out there struggling with your mental and emotional health, social interaction could really help you work out your feelings. Whether you meet online or in-person, that’s your choice, but either one could significantly help you with your feelings.

RELATED POST: Top Tips for Maintaining Self-Care during the Coronavirus Pandemic!

Safety Issues

Whether you support reopening the economy or wearing a face mask, honestly, that’s NOT what this post is about. This post is about reasons why it can be hard to socialize again, whether that be online or in-person. 

Some of us feel that it’s too early to go and socialize with our friends and family, but as I said in the first section, we live in the age of technology, where you could contact someone across the world in a matter of seconds. Now, this might not be as good as seeing someone in person, but it’s better than nothing. 

So, what’s holding you back? 

We Want to Make Excuses for not Socializing

Excuses. Before the pandemic, excuses were pretty common. 

But, now there are so many legitimate reasons for not socializing. I need to help my kid with online school. I have a Zoom conference. I’m not comfortable with going out of the house. 

But, with technology so abundant, we can still keep in touch with our friends and family. Being in isolation for so long can change you, make you feel you don’t need anyone to socialize with. Nonetheless, after a while, it can get kind of tough repeating the same thing over and over and over again. 

Things worthwhile are usually difficult to do, but once you do them, you’ll realize how grateful you were that you did it.

Some of Us Have Lost Our Faith in Humanity

Now, this last reason is a very understandable one because whether you keep up with the news or not, most of us have heard about the people out there taking advantage of peoples’ desperation and vulnerability during this pandemic. It’s news articles like those that make you want to curl up in bed and cry about how sad the human race has become. 

Nevertheless, I’m here to tell you that not everyone is like that. In fact, most people are not like that at heart. Some souls just get misguided. 

But, don’t deprive yourself of your best friend’s company or a conversation with the friendly neighbor next door because of it. The good people in this world deserve to socialize with you, and vice versa. It’s just about taking that next step.

Summary of Socializing

I cannot believe we’re already at the end! 

As always, I’m going to summarize this entire post for you post skimmers. Yes, I see you and trust me, I hear you. 

First things first, it can be hard to go back to socializing after such a long break. One of the major reasons is we’ve forgotten how to.

 Another major reason is that this pandemic has invoked feelings of depression and anxiety in many individuals. Call your friend, check to see if they’re ok, they’ll appreciate it, trust me. 

For those of you who aren’t comfortable going to meet people in-person, that’s ok! Just remember, cell phones were made for a reason. 

There are lots of us who want to make excuses to avoid talking to people. But, your mental health could significantly improve if you just take the chance and strike up a conversation. 

Lastly, I know that there are bad people out there, but your friends aren’t. Help you and them by keeping in touch. Both of your mental healths’ will thank you.

 And, we’re done! Thank you so much for reading this post about why it can be hard to start socializing in person again, and if you want to learn more about my blog, head to my website! 

RELATED POST: Welcome to Ana Health Avenue, your one-stop destination for all things health and beauty!

Just remember, people can help get you through these dark times. You just have to let them. -Anagha

Sources

-my knowledge about mental health 🙂