Introverts Unite

Only a few days into officially social/physical distancing, I started seeing friends say that they were mentally struggling or suffering from anxiety. The weird thing to me, is that I was feeling immense anxiety in the days and weeks leading up to all the cancellations and shut-downs, and once those things became official, I felt so much better! I actually feel great now! I think a few things contribute to this:

• I already suspected that there was going to be a long, sustained period of distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. I was actually unhappy that it wasn't sooner and [still isn't] more forceful. So I was mentally prepared for all the current restrictions, as well as prepared with supplies, since I was already there in my head and figured I should get food, etc. in the house.
• I've mentioned before that I have the privilege of being able to work from home, as does my husband now; to order food supplies online or for pick-up; to have technology to facilitate work, communication, and entertainment from home; and to not have to worry about caring for children or others during this time. If just one of those were on my plate, I would be a lot more stressed out.
• I'm a natural introvert. The other night when we had a virtual dinner with our friends, and then later they wanted to invite more friends and play games together online, my first thought was, "Ugh, spending more time with people?!" (Of course, I quickly realized how silly that was, and did still happily participate and had fun!) In regular times I feel like I have a set amount of social energy, and after a while being with people, I need to just be alone for a while to recharge. So in these socially distant times, I'm actually fully charged.

I realize my personality and circumstances make me kind of uniquely suited for this sort of situation, but not everyone has that luxury. 

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