Did the pandemic change my personality?

In 2020, COVID rocked the world, changing how people did their job, attended church, etc. For the first time, many churches started to broadcast their services online on social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, etc. Our company let the employees work from home for the first time. When I heard that we needed to work from home for two weeks, I was terrified because I’m an extrovert, and the thought of not being around people made me panic. What started as two weeks of working from home ended up being three years because our company is also transitioning from moving the headquarters from California to Nashville. Our team continued to work from home because we worked with team members in different locations all over the United States.

The first two weeks were very challenging to adjust to having virtual calls and conducting requirements gathering sessions virtually. After a month or so, I adjusted to the new way of doing my job. I was surprised that I was more productive when working from home because of fewer distractions. Since I was an extrovert, many people tried to stop by my desk to chat when I used to work from the office. Also, our organization is very people-oriented, and that’s usually the norm. I also noticed I could sleep for an extra hour in the mornings because I didn’t have to get ready and commute to work. I did miss interacting with people regularly, but I was part of a Bible study group through my church, which helped me to meet people in person.

Before the pandemic, I used to volunteer at a clinic, attend rehearsals for singing and be around people most of the day at work. All those activities came to a halt during the pandemic, and most of my evenings were spent at home. Now that I’m in my third year of working from home, I started noticing that I actually like spending time at home more. I began to do my workouts at home and started to enjoy chilling and watching Netflix, and I’ve become more like a homebody now. When I get invited to events, I’m not as excited as before because it takes a lot of energy to get ready and get out of the home. I need to push myself to get ready, get out, and do things with friends. I also need to force myself to go biking or go to a coffee shop. That made me wonder if my personality changed after the pandemic. Did I become an introvert now?

I feel deep inside I’m still an extrovert because when I’m around people, I still get energized. But I also enjoy staying at home and chilling without doing many activities. I feel laziness can be one of the reasons I’m finding it hard to get out of the home and do things with others. For me, only now the impact of the pandemic is starting to hit me because, for the past two years, I was also focused on finishing school and didn’t see a need to get out of the home. I’m starting to miss all the things I used to do before COVID, but I also want to be careful not to do something just to be busy.

I’m rediscovering my purpose in life and what God has called me to do here on earth. I recently started to have some discipline to spend time writing, which I’m passionate about. I’m also pushing myself to get out and spend time with other people because I have always loved to spend time with people and to help and encourage others. I’m also considering joining a gym to do some group classes to force myself to get out of the home. Even though the pandemic might have changed my personality a bit, I’m taking one step at a time as God opens up opportunities to connect with people, not be isolated, and be who God created me to be.

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