One thing that competes with the desire to be social is the lure of staying home. Introverts and extroverts both struggle with the push/pull that comes from wanting to be social but also wanting to stay home and do the things that feel cozy and comfortable.
When our schedules are busy, staying home can feel like a luxury. Being social can feel like a burden or, at the very least, something on the long list of things to do. That’s not what being social is meant to feel like. Here are some top tips for being social- when you’d rather stay home.
Top-tip: Build rest time into your day – If you are going to be out and about for something social, build rest into your schedule. Add time prior to your event to take a nap, get ready, or take a break before having to leave the house. Protect your schedule so you don’t overbook when you know you’ve got something to do.
Top-tip: Just do it – Like Nike says, just doing it…getting up and going, even when you feel like staying home, can actual be energizing. Sometimes the idea of staying home feels like it is easier or more fun, but you realize when you start having fun being social that it was worth the effort and you’re glad you did it.
Top-tip: Make it easy – Being organized at home can make it easier to be social. If you have to work too hard to get ready and get out of the door it can make you want to skip being social entirely. Having a clean home, clean clothes, and less chaos at home will make it easier to be social.
Top-tip: Stay home – Sometimes you need to listen to your intuition and just stay home. If you’ve been too busy lately or simply have no interest in the social activity, just skip out. There are times when your subconscious knows what’s best. While you shouldn’t blow off every social opportunity, sometimes staying home is exactly what you need to refresh and energize.
There’s something about getting home that makes us want to stay there. Cozy couches, Netflix and unlimited snacks seem like a really good time. It can make it harder to be social. If you are longing to be with people but tend to resist leaving home, you’ve got to push through the resistance and experience how fun being social is so you can routinely go out and have a great time.
