Honest Thoughts on My Post-Pandemic Life to Come.

The world is just starting to re-open and what do I do? Fill my time with so many projects, tasks, and Zoom calls that I hardly ever look up from my laptop. Everything I’m working on is incredibly fulfilling, magical, wonderful - blah, blah, blah. But what about the partying? What about hot girl summer, Emily? You’ve made it through a pandemic (nearly), where’s your new lease on life? Well, I’d like to think it’s right here on my computer. And although that sounds incredibly lonely and depressing, I promise you it’s far from. The work I’ve been doing recently is intensely exciting and I cannot wait to share more in the coming weeks. But here’s the thing; not every second should be spent working, typing, and daydreaming about all your to-do list for next day. Not every second needs to be a productive use of time. Note to self: repeat that sentence as many times as it takes to sink in.

I need and deserve breaks just like any person. This is always reinforced in me when I get out of town to ‘the lake’. It’s a place where the pace of life slows. It’s where I do my best reading, my best Yahtzee-ing, and my best breathing. Thank goodness I have friends and family to remind me how badly I need to spend time there. It may not be hot girl summer when you’re surrounded by retirees on house boats, but it doesn’t need to be. To me, this is the perfect way to celebrate the nearing finish line of the nightmare we’ve all endured: Playing solitaire next to a friend who’s reading the book you recommended to them, while another sips an Aperol Spritz in the sun, each of you looking up every few moments to smile at each-other and enjoy the perfectly underwhelming sense of peace. I suppose this is my big return to the “real world”.

I’ve read my fair share of articles recently trying to comfort those of us who aren’t ready to jump back into a full-fledged social life. It’s a lot of “go at your own pace” and “it’s okay to say no” sort of content. Not to say I disagree with these sentiments, but I’ve found that the tone of the conversation of post-pandemic life is very much based around a temporary period of getting back to normal. I almost feel as though I’m expected to be in a transition period which will ultimately end in me partying with strangers in Ibiza, or something else people in their early 20s are meant to be doing. Not that that was ever really me scene, but what if that doesn’t interest me anymore? My pandemic experience has made me much more self-reliant, and yet socially dependant on those in my life who are most important to me. What if I want to lean into that and see where this way of life takes me?

I wrote a blog post a few years back about discovering what it meant to me to be an introvert. That summer, I realized just how crucial it is for me to spend meaningful time alone in order to be a fully functioning human being around others. The last year has confirmed this, but also made me realize that I am capable of re-charging my emotional and social batteries within the company of others. By force I’ve only had contact with my family and select close friends for some time now, and we’ve all been guilty of the phenomenon of “we can’t socialize with anyone else, so we should probably socialize with each-other at every possible opportunity”. My introverted-ness hasn’t caused the anxiety I imagined it would under these circumstances. Sure, there’s been other things that have come swooping in to cause heart-palpitations and re-spark my commitment to daily use of the Calm app. But I’ve not only managed these stressors as they’ve come, but I’ve managed them in constant company. This both shocks me and fills me with pride. I’ve always loved meeting new people, but right now I feel quite content with those I have surrounding me. They don’t need an explanation of what my “Covid experience” was like, they lived it along-side me, very often dropping down to pick me up and help me limp through the year. I’m ready to live more freely, but let me close with this: If you want to start branching out again, meet new people, do all the things, or not; do it on your own terms. If you never want to set foot in a nightclub ever again, don’t. If you do, club it up, but don’t expect everyone in your circle to want the same. Listening to your body and doing what feels right for you is what I’d call self-care at it’s finest. I’m lucky to have ‘the lake’ as my escape that reinforces this idea, but you don’t need a physical place to find your post-pandemic bliss.

Well, I think that’s enough un-professional advice for today. I’ll be back soon for some fashion content and a big reveal (the reason for all my laptop time) in the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading.

Em