Overthinking

We are in a really difficult, uncomfortable, strange time at the moment.

Everything is unprecedented...

Apparently there's a virus flying around - it's both invisible and can be deadly.

It's keeping us at home.

Which doesn't sound like it should be too difficult for us introverts, does it?

Except if you are kept at home with extroverts of course. 🤨

My extrovert & I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary last month, in the most unromantic way you can imagine.

He went out for a run - since all of this started and we've not been socialising, I've been sending him out to run when I can see his energy is needing to be expended. Just before he got back, I ordered takeaway fish & chips, and then went to do my weekly Zumba class online from our downstairs living area.

So I did my class, then came back upstairs and ate cold fish and chips, on my own, at the dinner table! 😂🤣 #loveknowsnobounds

We've been together long enough that the actual date of celebration doesn't matter - we have learned to appreciate each other, and enjoy each others company, whenever we get time. It's just not going to be now, or for the next while, by the look of things...

I have to say, this situation we find ourselves in all around the world, has been an opportunity for us to better recognise what we all like to do.

We are fairly evenly split in our family (although one of the kids doesn't yet know how much of an introvert he is, but I will help him navigate it as he gets older), so we need strategies for each of us to individually feel energised.

I am trying to find ways to get time to recharge and think, which is easier since we did a bit of renovating last year, and I got a little 'book nook', but also harder, as everyone is at home, pretty much all of the time, at the moment.

So - overthinking.

I mean this not in the normal sense, but quite specific to the crisis we are dealing with at the moment. We need to be realistic about what we can and can't control.

We can't see the virus, so our governments are asking us to minimise the spread of it, by staying home, and social distancing. When it was first being discussed as a possibility, I was thinking I'd be in my element, getting to stay home and have 'nothing' to do.🙌

However, for a variety of reasons, I've ended up having to keep going to work, so no sitting around doing very little for me. No finding new ways to exercise for me. No learning new, exotic instruments here.

Just pretty much business as usual. So I found myself feeling a bit envious of those at home, who don't need to be finding new ways to avoid being close to people, or cleaning constantly every time someone touches my office doors. I'm highly sensitive and anxious when it's not unprecendented times, so this is not fun for me!

So when we needed to get groceries at the weekend, and my extrovert said I didn't have to go, I should have listened to my spidey-senses, and stayed at home. Instead, I thought I'd do the right thing, and be helpful, and go along to share the load.

Big mistake for an overthinking introvert. 

I spent the entire time we were out

• almost holding my breath,
• frantically watching everyone's movements in my surroundings - EVERYONE'S!!!,
• worrying I wasn't correctly social-distancing,
• panicking if I lost sight of my extrovert, and
• trying to click my ruby red slippers together -There's no place like home, There's no place like home...

So, if you have an extrovert at home, and they offer to do the going out and getting stuff - please let them - it really is too peopley out there, even now when we are all supposed to Stay at Home!