Many people who know me, would describe me as an extrovert with a capital E.  In group settings, I’m often the one asking questions, telling stories, inserting the colourful and sassy commentary and laughing boisterously…but I like to think of myself as an extroverted introvert. I’m a homebody at heart, I like my own company and having ‘me-time’, I know that spending too much time with other people drains me and I do my best to steer clear of networking events.  As an extroverted introvert, you’d think that I’d be loving the pandemic, what with all the staying at home, me-time, and all the distancing it brings! But that just isn’t the case…

For me, personally, fostering and deepening connections with the people that I love and care about most has been the best (extroverted!) part of this whole pandemic ordeal.  Here are some of the ways that I’ve been connecting with my friends and family:

• video chats with my sister.  If you know me, you know that I try to avoid talking on the phone and being on video conference calls, as much as possible.  And if you know my sister, you know that she works even harder to avoid these things. So, even though she and I are besties that live in different cities and provinces, we normally communicate by text only.  And then along came COVID-19.  And not knowing when we would get to see each other again (in person).  And soon we were FaceTiming and playing games on Houseparty like a couple of millennials!

• (virtual) happy hour dates with my friends.  It’s the recipe for the perfect date.  FaceTime, no makeup, messy buns, adult beverages, and loads of laughter.  And no one has to call for an Uber at the end of the night.

• curbside visits with family.  Aside from missing my dad and my sister, the two people that I miss the most are my nieces – one is 9 going on 14 (seriously…it seems like she magically grew up during the quarantine!) and the other is 20 months (and she is learning new skills and words every day).  I miss being physically close to them, and smothering them with my hugs and aunty love.  

During the last few weeks, especially, I have also built a deeper (introverted!) connection with myself and my business.  I have been consciously working on the way I treat myself and speak to myself.  I’ve tried to give myself a bit of space, grace and forgiveness on the days when I haven’t been at my best or been my most productive.  And I’ve tried to remember to recognize and celebrate the wins on the days where I have accomplished more than I set out to.  I’m trying to strike a balance, and now that the initial feelings of overwhelm have subsided, I’m finding it easier to settle into the “interim normal”.  I have been spending some time optimizing the SEO for my website, developing new content and attending online webinars on topics that interest me.  Right now, I’m feeling pretty excited and energized about the goals that I’ve set and for what’s coming up next for me.

I have also been hearing heartwarming stories of how businesses (even those that have had to close their doors) are continuing to build and foster connections with their staff and loyal clients | customers that they miss so much.  For example, 

• one business owner that had to temporarily close its doors during the pandemic has set up a weekly Zoom call with her employees. During the call, they take turns talking about their highs and lows for the week (because there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for), what they miss most about their “old” life and what is the first thing that they’ll do when some of the restrictions are lifted and life returns to some sense of “normal” again.  It’s an opportunity for the team to stay connected, to share how they’re feeling and to offer each other support.

• I have seen a lot of businesses in the beauty services space offering free tutorials online to their clients and customers to get them through this time when these services are no longer operating.  I’ve seen businesses offering tutorials (and kits!) on how to soak off gel nails and colour your own hair, I’ve seen tutorials on how to give your partner, your kids and even YOURSELF a haircut (ugh – flashbacks to that terrible bang trim I tried to give myself when I was an awkward teenager) and I even know one stylist who jumped on a video call with her client to guide her through the delicate process of cutting her squirmy toddler’s hair for the first time (and for inquiring minds that want to know, everyone survived, no one ended up with a shaved head and only a few tears were shed).

• I have seen award-winning chefs host their own live cooking shows on Instagram where they are sharing their kitchens, their favourite kitchen tools and most importantly, their trade secrets and recipes for their most popular dishes, because no one should have to go without their favourite pasta Bolognese, in addition to navigating and surviving everything else that is going on – am I right?

While I am trying to make the most of this gift of time that we have been given rather unexpectedly, this extroverted introvert is looking forward to the day when businesses reopen, when we can return to sports and outdoor activities and we can get together in person while not having to wear masks or stand two metres apart.  I’m even looking forward to attending a networking event, because now I know what a gift it is to have the freedom to go.

Drop me a comment below to let me know how you have been staying connected to others (and yourself!) during the pandemic. 

 April 28, 2020

Saira Gangji is an independent licensed Workplace Investigator at hrology in Calgary, AB.  She investigates allegations of discrimination and human rights, harassment, violence and misconduct in the workplace.  For more information about hrology and our process, see the work with me page.