By Tessa Rabeau and Grace Burns
You may have heard the terms ‘introvert’ and ‘extrovert’ thrown around, but not really know what they mean. Essentially, they are broad definitions of people's personality types, for example an introvert tends to source their energy from being alone, or from doing individualistic activities such as reading and watching movies. Extroverts tend to source their energy from being around people and are usually outgoing and socially confident. This means that their versions of quarantine are considerably different.
Introverts would probably be loving this time of quarantine and isolation as they do not have to spend time around crowds at work or school and are more able to focus on their own personal interests. Introverts may be quiet and reserved with friends, but with family they tend to be more outgoing, as they feel more comfortable. This is part of the reason that quarantine is so great for introverts as they are surrounded by those that they trust the most. Unlike extroverts, they do not have to rely on others to source their energy from, they can instead snuggle up on the couch and watch reruns of Lord of The Rings on Netflix. As introverts tend to be very good listeners, in day to day life they help their friends and family by listening to their issues, although a great trait to have, this can become quite draining for introverts, so quarantine is a perfect time for them to relax their brains and catch up on their own feelings and issues. Therefore, although social activities in everyday life can often prove challenging for introverts, these past few months have been similar to a retreat for those who are introverted.
Extroverts will most likely be hating this time of quarantine in isolation as they thrive off social interactions, seeing their friends, and meeting new people. Extroverts are usually more outgoing with people and desire a good conversation or a fun time with friends, which is difficult in isolation. This attributes to the struggle possibly experienced by extroverts during this time of isolation as they are unable to retain their social needs and may not enjoy spending all day every day at home on Netflix. Of course, everyone would enjoy the occasional day-off but for extroverts it may be mentally draining not being able to see friends and go out, this is why introverts who are used to and love this time need to be there for their extrovert friends. A simple text or facetime can help extroverts in this period of isolation, which they might be struggling with due to the inability to socialise. However, there are positives, as restrictions have been lifted. Now extroverts are able to see their friends (in moderation) and experience the social energy they enjoy.
