The personal and psychological repercussions of COVID are still felt by many. According to an , isolation has taken its toll in many areas of people’s lives.
The isolation was especially harmful to people we call extroverts – those who find pleasure in getting out and about, who want to socialize around the water cooler at work, love parties and events, or even go to church. On the contrary, introverts fared better during COVID. They enjoyed their solitude: they could comfortably work from home, use Zoom to attend weddings and other celebrations, and participate remotely.
All of this is over now. People are returning to their physical workplace. Restaurants are open; concerts, weddings, holiday gatherings, etc., are happening again. And many introverts are finding themselves back to avoiding uncomfortable environments as much as possible. Fortunately, technology is on their side now. This article contains a list of different types of introverts and plenty of apps that provide the best help possible for these people.
Types of Introverts
In general, psychological researchers have agreed that an introvert is someone who prefers calmer and slower environments and must take time alone to “recharge.” And . As you review these types, remember that they may mesh among categories depending on the specific situation.
The Social Introvert
If you are a social introvert, you prefer being alone or in very small groups, mostly with close friends and family members. You feel uncomfortable and maybe a little anxious at large social events. Sometimes, you even accept invitations to large social events (e.g., weddings) and then back out or just don’t go.
In terms of dating, you probably prefer online dating apps. If so, . You can get to know someone by chatting and developing a strong personal bond before you ever meet up in person. And if you are feeling a bit adventurous, you might try speed dating. These are quick one-on-one meetups. You only talk to one person at a time, and that might work for you.
The Thinking Introvert
You lean more toward the intellectual side of life. You love to study, research, and really think things out before you even respond to a question that is asked. “Let me get back to you on that” is a common response to a question or an idea that is posed to the thinking introvert. It’s easy to get lost in your own ruminations and loses sight of the question or idea at hand.
The Anxious Introvert
You prefer to be alone a lot. Situations in which you find yourself in the company of others (at work or socially) can cause you to withdraw into yourself as a means of self-protection. Others around you might even see your behavior as rude. You stay at home a lot because that is your comfort zone, and you loved working from home during Covid. You will avoid or emotionally withdraw during in-person meetings at work. You do have a few close friends and enjoy interacting with them.
The Restrained Introvert
You are more reserved around others, especially those you don’t know really well. Once you get to know people, though, you are more open to socialization. But in general, you are a quiet, focused person and are seen as people who can be relied on to do their jobs well.
You are also hesitant to share your personal life with others until you know them well. And once you do, you can be relaxed, open, and have fun.
Apps that Introverts May Find Helpful
How can technology help introverts? Ain’t it grand? Well, there are apps that introverts can find to be really valuable for their personal and professional lives. They allow them to do things more efficiently, provide entertainment, and facilitate communication. Let’s unpack a few of these.
MetimeScheduleonce (Metime.so)
When you are in downtime (recharge mode), you don’t want to be interrupted. This scheduling app will let you be in charge of your uptime and recharge time. Just list the times you will be available to chat or meet with others, and they can access those times, set a meeting, and submit it.
Boomerang
You may feel most productive in your home comfort zone, so you work late hours or get up super early to get work done. But when you need to communicate via email with co-workers, you don’t want them to know you are working because you don’t want interruptions or invasions in the hours you keep. If you use Gmail, here is a must-have. It lets you set the time any emails are sent, so it looks like normal working hours. Snap!
Sattva
So, you’re at work. And a meeting or working as a team on a project is stressing you out. Hang in there. You know there will be a break coming up. And this will be your time to recharge. If you have the Sattva app, this will be easy. This is the app for guided and even timed meditations. You can retreat to a private space and use that break time to “ground” yourself.
Introji
We all use emojis. But with the Introji app designed just for introverts, you can show, without speaking, exactly how you are feeling at a specific time. You can accept or decline an invitation to lunch or happy hour and indicate you want to be alone or “up” for a visit. This eliminates the need to get into a conversation that might be awkward or invent an “excuse” or reason why you want or don’t want to engage with someone.
Anomo
Ever wish you could communicate with others without revealing any personal information or a photo of yourself? This is a type of social connection app that introverts love. You can engage others, make posts, and even chat through avatars. You can even choose to reveal any personal information to a single individual only after you have had plenty of conversation and feel totally comfortable.
Google Maps
Suppose you want to go out to eat all by yourself but not when and where a place will be crowded or noisy. To make your search in Google Maps more useful, scroll down to a bar graph that will show you the most to least popular times of day or evening. You can pick a time when it will be least crowded and probably get a table all to yourself. The same goes for other places, such as museums.
Contactually
If your work requires that you stay in contact with customers, clients, or other business relationships, or if you just want to stay in touch with those in your social media circles but you don’t want actual conversations or meetups, you can use Contactually. Here, you can put all of your contacts, business or social, into “buckets” based on how often you believe you should contact them. You’ll then get reminders to shoot an email or message. No one is forgotten.
Just a Slice of the Pie
There are a huge number of apps that introverts will find valuable. You can do a bit of research on the two app stores with some keywords for what you want/need and pick a few that will work for you. Being an introvert has a lot of benefits – don’t force yourself out of your comfort zone to accommodate others. Be comfortable in your own skin, and you’ll thrive.