3 Tips for Reintegration (into In-Person)
I’ve been talking about it with friends, I’ve been talking about it with clients and I’ve been thinking about it. A lot.
How weird is it going to be when we start to do things in-person again?
I think it’s going to be weird. Really, really weird. Especially for those with social anxiety who’ve been able to avoid a lot of discomfort.
I’ve listed some mild but effective ways that you can start to transition back, and even created a handy reintegration accountability sheet that you can grab at the end of this post!
Trauma
The truth is, we’ve all been experiencing varying degrees of trauma over the past year. And no, I’m not using that term lightly.
First there was the fear and initial panic of a global pandemic. How will we make ends meet? How will I manage homeschooling and work? And for those who live alone, how will I navigate loneliness?
At first, for those of us who weren’t in serious health risk categories and had the option to work from home, there were nice moments of being able to stay in your pyjamas all day, and not having to rush all of the time.
But then, as it wore on, as we’ve gone longer and longer without seeing our friends, hugging our family members, having in-person conversations… it’s become this bubble of waiting.
But, we’re out of practise of socializing. Of the feeling of speaking to a room full of colleagues in a meeting. Of being seen in work clothes. Or, clothes.
Soon we won’t have the option of turning our cameras off - we will have to be more present, to navigate the nuances of other people’s communication signals, to bank for travel time to and from different places.
And I’m not going to lie, I think it’s going to be awkward. We’ve become adjusted to lag time in Zoom meetings, to wearing comfortable clothing, to grabbing food when we need it and not making it ahead of time.
Preparing for In-Person
For those who experience social anxiety (and even for those who don’t), I highly recommend slowly getting yourself back into the habit of having conversations to ease back in. What does this look like?
Have at least one 1:1 Zoom call per week with a friend or a colleague. Most of us are doing this anyway in groups but go for the small numbers. It forces you to engage, be present and to listen, instead of zoning out. Ask questions and make sure to give meaningful answers. Cameras on.
Go for walks where possible, at least once a week. If you have to have a conversation with somebody, try to schedule a distanced walk. This will allow us to get back into the habit of being in another person’s presence, to have to be present and to pay attention to vocal and physical communication cues from the other person. Make an effort to engage, and like in #1 above, ask meaningful questions and give detailed answers.
If you’ve been zoning out in Zoom and Team meetings (and who hasn’t), make a commitment to turn your camera on and engage. Ask questions, and answer questions, and not just in the chat. That isn’t going to be an option any longer for in-person meetings, and to be honest, we’re going to have to get used to other people’s rhythms again. Chat lets us just brain dump when we feel like it, but forcing yourself to speak means that you have to wait for the right moment.
Easy Does It
Go slow and go easy on yourself. Remember that you’re going to make mistakes and it’s going to be awkward. But as we start to get more accustomed to the idea of gathering again, you’ve got this time now to build back up your social skills so it’s not such a big leap when things open up again.
And going slowly will help to ease the fatigue of readjustment. It might seem silly, but I really believe that we will get tired a lot more easily as we transition back into in-person, and if you’re feeling that, give yourself credit and don’t overdo it. Account for your needs.
To make it easy on yourself, and to remember to schedule this stuff, I’ve made a handy sheet for you to schedule Zooms and walks and to keep track of keeping your camera on. The more mindful you are, the easier it will be to keep it up! Grab my Reintegration Accountability Sheet here!
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I’d love to know if you’ve got any further ideas of ways that we can get used to socializing in-person again - leave them in the comments below!
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Did you like this blog post? I have so many more! Look below to browse through the recent ones, or just click here to see ‘em all!
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And as a reminder, a great opportunity to build back up your speaking, social and presentation skills again is to apply for my Big Voices Masterclass - May 2021 container!
Big Voices Masterclass is a life-changing, 4-week speaking, visibility and confidence course designed to boost your bravery, tune your perspective and give you a powerful voice. This transformative training within a safe and empowered environment, provides you with a structured, systematic approach to speaking that extends to multiple areas of your life. Like speaking up at work, or in a group. Like saying what needs to be said because it’s the right thing to do.
BONUS week ends at 11:59pm on March 12, and registration opens again in April, so get your applications in! Check it out here.
