I Was Happier Isolated at Home During the Pandemic (Am I Just an Introvert or Is Something Wrong With Me?)

One positive explanation for those who settled nicely into the quarantine period is a personality style known as introversion. While all our personalities can’t truly be simplified to this degree, most people have a tendency to be either more introverted or more extroverted.

According to the American Psychological Association, introversion is an “orientation toward the internal private world of one’s inner thoughts and feelings, rather than toward the outer world of people and things.”

In other words, you value alone time, reflection, and quiet. If you’re an introvert, you may have felt the lack of parties and other big events to be a welcome break. Introversion is a continuum, so you may have some or all of these typical characteristics and to varying degrees:

• You like to spend time by yourself, often choosing it over socializing with others.
• Social interactions leave you feeling drained of energy.
• You work well alone and prefer that to collaborations.
• Your social circle is small.
• You prefer to communicate through writing rather than talking, especially over the phone.
• You spend time daydreaming, reflecting, or generally focusing inward.
• You tend to zone out in certain situations.

People who tend toward extroversion are the opposite in many ways. They thrive in social situations, crave social time, and avoid alone time. They have a lot of friends and like to talk to communicate or solve problems.

Understandably, introverts probably fared better during the quarantine than extroverts. Many experienced a sense of relief when events got cancelled. They loved the idea of staying home to watch a movie rather than going to a party or bar.

When the pandemic began and governments put lockdowns in place, introverts declared it their time to shine. But did it really work out that way? For some people, yes, but it’s not so simple. For instance, many people got roped into online social gatherings, which for an introvert can be even more draining than in-person events. It’s not easy to find an excuse to back out of a Zoom call during a quarantine.

Even introverts need some social interaction, but the quarantine required everyone to be more creative about it. Extroverts tend to be more flexible and content with virtual meetings and phone calls. Introverts are more likely to avoid these interactions, causing them to become more isolated during quarantine.

There may even be some evidence that introverts fared worse during the pandemic in terms of mental health symptoms. These include loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The results may be due to an introvert’s inflexibility in ways of socializing.

If you are an introvert, and you found some peace and satisfaction being forced to stay home and avoid social gatherings, there’s not much reason for worry. On the other hand, there could be an issue if the idea of a return to normal fills you with dread.

Introverts turn inward and value alone time, but this doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy socializing or that they don’t get benefits from it. You may prefer a one-on-one coffee date with a friend to a party, for instance, but not seeing any friends for weeks or months at a time is not necessarily enjoyable for an introvert.

Here are some signs and potential issues that could indicate your unwillingness to let go of quarantine is problematic:

• Your social interactions have gone down to zero or close to it.
• You’re languishing rather than thriving, finding it difficult to get tasks done, concentrate, or do anything meaningful.
• You feel depressed or anxious a lot.
• Thinking about going back to in-person interactions causes severe anxiety or dread.
• You feel lonely but fear reaching out to anyone.
• If you have a mental illness, your symptoms have worsened.