From Social Isolation to Social Saturation

Coming to a whole new environment this year that demands more than just academic excellence has been challenging to say the least. Spending a whole school year talking about isolation and living far away from friends or family and then being thrown into a highly social environment and being expected to adjust to these changes on top of school work has been… rough. 

“Yes!!! I feel much more pressured to do stuff and always be on my feet. If I take time out for myself, I feel bad and I feel like people will get closer in the duration I'm not there.”

“Coming back to school in person, I have less personal alone time by myself. I feel like I'm always surrounded by people and feel very lonely when I am alone even though I thought I got used to being alone at home. I also find myself doing more outdoor activities with my friends.”

“Yes, I've been going out a lot less and when I do I prefer smaller more intimate settings where I can really get to know the people there and have fun”

“I have been more social due to living with friends. After being alone for a whole year, it definitely is pretty nerve-wrecking. I realized that I have gotten much more social living with friends throughout the few months that we have been together.”

“I used to be an ambivert, but now I am more of an introvert. I just prefer to stay home more and have more alone time.”

“I don’t think my rating changed much, but I’m definitely more aware of how easy it is to strike up a conversation with people.”

“Shifting towards extrovert”

“I used to be an ambivert, but now I am more of an introvert. I just prefer to stay home more and have more alone time.”

“I became more introverted initially but I am trying to force myself into social situations”

“It has always been hard to make friends. But I think coming back since I am already a junior, I feel confident that my friends will be there for me even if I don't make new friends.”

“No, I'm just not that interested in making friends as I was before. It could be because of all the changes happening, or the fact that I'm happy with the current friends I have.”

“NO, I have a nice conversation with someone for a day and never again.”

“Definitely not, it's been hard making friends online”

“Living together with my good friends. Hard to establish rules. Big lectures with people sitting shoulder to shoulder, making me anxious of getting covid.”

“I'm not as party-versed as I used to be, I feel I just don't enjoy them as much and much rather in smaller settings.”

“I really dislike group activities within a class/lab that involves me talking to strangers. I have social anxiety so anything that involves presentations, random group works, and other things that involve me interacting with someone that I don't know gives me slight anxiety.”

“Being around people that aren’t my family bc my family became my best friends all of quarantine”

“I miss living alone, being able to have time alone to think.”

“I miss just some alone time. I think because I am now so sucked into meeting friends or being with my roommates consistently, I think I miss the times that I enjoy being alone and having free time. I got reliant on my roommates and friends due to being with them 24/7 after being stuck in quarantine, it really changed me.”

“Having love immediately next to me”

“Just being in my room by myself listening to music on the floor”

“eating alone in peace, without having to engage in conversation”

“I miss getting to go hiking most mornings”

“Not yet. still feeling a bit over stimulated. sometimes feeling heated over nothing because my social battery is drained”

“Not yet, but I think a good way is to make alone time for yourself and avoid overscheduling.”

“No, I still feel the struggle trying to find a balance. when I’m alone, I feel like I’m not making quality use of possibly social time. Other times, I have trouble even remembering people’s names and just want to rest at home.”

“Yes, I give myself the perfect amount of socialization to mitigate feelings of isolation, but I also have enough alone time to prevent from feeling over stimulated”

“I feel like I am usually in the middle ground right now. Sometimes I do feel isolated when I can't hang out with my roommates due to having meetings, being in class, or needing to go home. Sometimes I am so involved with meeting friends that it can drain my energy. But these days, I think I am trying to find a good balance and I don't dislike it.”

“recommending a good restaurant/food places”

“I used to smile and just start talking, but I think having a mask on makes the smiling part harder. For now, I think I'll have to walk up to the person, say hi, and just strike up a conversation based on something we have in common - for instance, the class we are taking, how we both like running on the treadmill at the Village gym, etc.”

“Making jokes out of the awkwardness”

“Oftentimes, I find it the easiest when the other person talks first and I like to listen. After we get comfortable with each other, then it's easier for me to open up and ask questions / talk about myself.”

“Being vulnerable”

“I usually start talking about an upcoming exam for the class or asking a question about a recent movie/event”

“Yes, I expect people will be sticking to their own groups but also expand as they get more comfortable.”

“No!!! It’s much harder”
“No it’s much harder than what I thought”

“Not at all. I thought it was going to be a lot easier to make friends but I realized a lot of it ends up being superficial surface-level friendships with a lot of people. I value close intimate friendships with a few over frivolous relationships with a lot”

“I think movies are really romanticising what college is like. I believe that college is very dramatic and you're always drinking with friends. But it's the total opposite. You are so focused on what you're doing that you don't really do anything like drinking or hanging out with friends unless you have time / when it's the weekend.”

“somewhat, I found that people are much more eager to meet new people than I thought they would be”

“No, it is very difficult for me to be alone with my own thoughts recently. I always try to think about my own things while working out. I think exercising provides a good way for me to clear up my mind and focus.”

“Yes, I am pretty used to being alone so it's been okay dealing with being alone. Sometimes, I wish that I was more socially active since then I can force myself to deal with the social anxiety I have. But it can be overwhelming for me to interact with random people because I physically start having a mental breakdown and that can be seen through my emotions. I do enjoy being alone since I can jot my thoughts down in my journal or listen to songs. I think after being in quarantine for so long, I'm just always listening to music more than usual.”

“I mean it really depends. On hectic days I love some me time to just chill but I do think I am more of an extrovert so I really don't like to be alone in most cases. when i do feel alone i just go to the library and study amongst strangers”

“Not so much, I think I need time alone to truly be alone with my thoughts and it's hard to connect with that now that I am either out around people or busy doing things”

“I think this sudden increase in social stimulation is bad for me. I always feel like I need more personal space but cannot find time or space for myself.”

“i deleted instagram recently so that says something in itself”

“I think in a way both. I want to be more social but at the same time it has become harder.”

“It has negatively affected my general disposition in that it has made me anxious facing larger social scenarios or meeting new people”

“positively helped me because I realised how much I missed social interaction.”

“I’m neutral, although I prefer to avoid socialisation, I’ve gotten more used to it.”

“Most comfortable with movie nights and more relaxed environments. Parties definitely make me want to run away.”

“Unstructured events make me uncomfortable because then people are not forced to hang around me and no will eventually does”

“Parties make me want to run away but I’m most comfortable in events where we’re all Casual and just having fun (watching movies playing games together etc)”

“I love just doing mixers/parties with friends because I don't need to meet new people. And even if I do meet new people, it would usually be my friend's close friends so we can get along after getting to know each other. I really dislike parties and unstructured mixers because I get anxious and nervous when I'm alone. I prefer just doing things with people I know whether it be a study night, movie night, etc.”

“I’m most comfortable hanging out with my closest friends, but I still feel uncomfortable going to an event not knowing anyone”

“Your personality will attract people so there is no need to change yourself to please others.”

“Shoot your shot. Don't be embarrassed to actually text, snapchat, or dm someone after you've gotten their contact information if you're genuinely interested in becoming friends with them. follow up with them and actually set up something casual for you to hang out: go out for coffee, a study date, invite them to something you're doing with other friends, or just hang out on campus.”

“Just pace yourself and be yourself. You'll be fine.”

“I don't really have any tips since I'm still struggling with it right now. I don't really know how to function without getting nervous / anxious. But what I have learned is doing things with friends really helps you get more active since your friends can get you out of that anxious state around strangers. I prefer going in groups of 4 so that we are all still together but we can also mingle with other groups.”

“Know your worth, look out for yourself first, stick to your morals and don’t succumb to peer pressure.”