Virtual Happy Hours via Zoom, Google Hangouts, or any other online meetup space is too enticing for an extrovert to pass up.

It’s everything you’ve been wanting after being cooped up in your home. Cooped up either all by yourself, with a partner who you love, but in recent weeks, have seen waaaaaaay too much of, or with children you’ve been “homeschooling”.

I emphasize the quotation marks in “homeschooling”…because some days, I just can’t.

I mean, on my most busy work-from-home days, I still manage to become my child’s teacher, cafeteria chef, and physical education coach. After “work hours”, I’m back on duty with dinner, family time, and next day prep.

By the end of the day, I’m ready for a hardy spirit. If you’re anything like me: trying to find balance in this new normal or just trying to cope during these uncertain times, I know you’ve had a drink at home more than a couple of nights.

(Picture me tilting my head, pursing my lips, and giving you the side-eye.)

But that can’t compare to throwing back a couple of cold ones with a group of friends. I mean, isn’t that why so many of us use to gather at the local brewery or hot spot after a hard week at work?

Apparently, even when the majority of the world is stuck in their homes, many of us STILL have a bad case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). This extrovert included!

So to keep the tradition alive, we’ve turned to virtual Happy Hours.

It totally makes sense! It’s the only way we can gather socially while still keeping physical distance. It’s a chance to smile at each other and laugh. It’s our chance to connect.

It’s an extrovert’s in isolation dream—or is it?

As I reflect on all the Zoom meetings and telecalls I’ve had over the last 3 weeks, I’m not feeling as excited as I should about the upcoming Virtual Happy Hour. What if it’s just another video call, only with a drink in my hand?

Maybe I will feel great and it will be a total blast. An extrovert’s dream fulfilled! But what if after the first 15 minutes, the novelty wears off?

No hugs, no gentle brush on my shoulder to say hi as someone passes by, no clinking glasses to say cheers…will this start to feel like my worst nightmare when I start to remember I’m still very alone in a room???

The truth is…I don’t know. No one knows. 

But what I do know is that “What If-ing” our lives away during times like this doesn’t help. It only creates stress and anxiety about something that hasn’t happened yet. Stress and anxiety about something we can’t control.

So, I take a few deep breaths, shift my thoughts to only focus on the positive, and decide to show up for the virtual party with bells on! Virtual Happy Hour may not be this extrovert’s definition of the “best party ever”, but it will be a time to see people I care about.

And during times like this… that’s what really matters. 

Namaste.

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