The pandemic has made introverts into extroverts and vice versa

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Bear with me. Last night I thought I was going to get some alone time and didn't. I was very annoyed. I'm a massive extrovert but DH working from home means I am NEVER alone in the house. Never. Being forced into the house during the lockdowns has made me really want and need alone time.

I have introvert friends though who now try to be more social than they used to because being locked in the house has made them realise there's a limit.

I'm going to do a PhD and be famous.

Yes, this is what I was getting at earlier. I went a bit more extrovert after lockdowns effectively ended for me (spring 2021) but I'm back to so-called normal now. Some people talk about things as if they spent 2 full years at home and are just emerging - which they may well have done! But isn't the norm.

Nope, still an introvert here. Being away from society was glorious. Also the best thing about being on site at work post-pandemic is that it’s half empty due to all the people still working from home 😂

No, I was an introvert before covid and am even more of an introvert now. At least pre-covid I was able to function when dealing face to face with people, but I can't do that anymore. My OH is ECV so we were shielding for many months, having all shopping delivered etc, working from home (so not seeing work colleagues nor clients in person). Since the end of shielding and other restrictions, I've just not got back into "normal" life at all and if anything, I'm getting worse at dealing with other people face to face simply because I'm out of the habit and forgotten my coping strategies.

I don’t disagree with your premise. I am an extrovert-turned-introvert. Before the pandemic, I was very socially active. I had (and still have) a lot of friends. These days I dread a full social calendar and would happily spend my days not ever having to talk to or interact with anyone other than my husband and kids. People make me anxious in a way they never used to; I think part of
that, though, is the fact that people seem objectively more angry, more judgmental and vitriolic about lifestyles or points of view that are different to their own, and generally more on edge and selfish. I find it all a bit toxic and would rather keep to myself most of the time.

It sounds like more extroverts moved than introverts. We're a fickle people

I'm an ambivert and always have been, and I think far more people are than they realise. It's very dependent on circumstance, what's going on in life, how I'm feeling etc.

However I don't understand how you can't get alone time with your husband in the house, unless you literally live in a single room? DH and I both wfh and are mostly homebodies and we still get plenty of alone time when we need it.

Yes, I used to think I was an introvert (though always a sociable one) but Covid has cured me of any fantasies about solitude!