No events. No bars, no parties, no restaurants, no weddings, no birthdays – in fact no social gatherings at all. No going to the office, no meetings, no small-talk, no new friends, no fomo.

And if you absolutely must go out, make sure you are a maximum of six people, and at least 2.5 meters apart.

You get the gist – these are words we’ve memorized by now. Just #stayhome #staysafe #savelives and practice #SOCIALDISTANCING.

Due to the fact that we are going through a global pandemic, a lot of people are facing episodes of anxiety, and it really seems like everything around us is collapsing. It is by no means an easy time for anyone across the globe for many obvious reasons. However in a paradoxical moment of realization, recent events have made me realize that today’s obligations towards the world could possibly be an extroverted introvert’s dream.

“Social Distancing” without feeling like I am missing out is music to my ears. The reality is that us extroverted introverts have been craving Social Distancing before it was even popular! So, let’s look at the bright side and explore that a little bit.

How about we revisit the difference between what it means to be an introvert or an extrovert in the first place?

Let’s put it this way. After a long day at work, hanging out with friends, or going to a party, introverts just want to go back home and recharge by themselves. Whereas extroverts after being alone focusing on their work, will need to recharge by going out with friends or attending some sort of social event.

You would think that humans have to be be one or the other, right? But I believe there is more this spectrum of introverts and extroverts than meets the eye. There’s a sweet spot - a happy medium? And there’s even a term for it! We’re what they call ambiverts.

What’s it like to be an ambivert?

Meeting new people is great, I love it. New conversations and new insights. But please give me a heads up so that I can mentally prepare for it, otherwise these interactions can leave me drained. Small talk? I can do it effortlessly, but deep down inside I can’t stand it. If I was to choose, meaningful one-on-one conversations would win any day, and perhaps on somedays no conversations at all…

Social obligations and pressure to go out can sometimes be really stressful for us ambiverts . Yet if you put us in the middle of any party, we will surely dance the night away and effortlessly act like social butterflies. However here’s the sitch. All of a sudden and with no apparent warning signals, we get this feeling of I. just. Need. To. LEAVE. NOW. For no good reason. No explanation needed guys, we’re just done for the night.

However, just because we enjoy our alone time doesn’t mean we like to feel lonely. Oh no. we love to socialize.  Alone time comes in small doses, but it is essential that we get that dose when we need it. We stay home too long then feel like going out. We stay out too long then feel like going home. You get the point. It’s a wonderfully vicious cycle that’s what it is.

Most of the time ambiverts really suck at texting and returning phone calls. Seriously – it’s a problem. Unintentionally though it’s nothing personal I assure you! The extrovert in us is almost always online and available, but when unwillingly the introvert side takes charge, we automatically get off the phone and are unreachable for extended amounts of time. Again, nothing personal it’s one of those “It’s not you, it’s me” kind of things.

Also, we have no interest in pleasing a social crowd or getting anyone’s approval, we don’t have time for that and we just like to do our thing. Yet when we actually do connect with someone, the connection is usually genuine and deep. Quality over quantity always.

Most of the time we’re stuck in our own heads. Always thinking. Always contemplating. What will I do this weekend, what book do I want to read, what vacation do I want to go on next, why is the sky blue, and especially these days – how will I utilize my quarantine time productively while practicing self-care and connecting with loved ones? And given the current status quo, disconnecting completely also is on our minds for sure. We really do enjoy the sweet sound of nothingness.

Basically, to sum it up we are – in my humble opinion – complex confused hybrids.

And in a very strange turn of events, social distancing could have been the solution we needed all along.

So #stayhome and #flattenthecurve people! We’re all in this together.