Thursday, March 2, 2023

[Agoraphobia Intensifies]


As much as I enjoy working from home, there are drawbacks.

I'm naturally a shy person. And shy may not be the right word. Anxious, maybe? Or borderline agoraphobic, perhaps. If there is a way to avoid interaction with fellow human beings, I choose that way.

Working in an office with a bunch of others around me kind of forced me into the whole talking with other people thing. I got used to it, or at least was able to build up enough tolerance or whatever to make it all work.

Then Covid and work from home came. And the slow march to disintegrating social coping skills began.

It took a good ten minutes and a mini-rehearsal to make a very nonconfrontational phone call this morning. A few years ago I wouldn't have had to think twice about it. Well, I would have had to think twice, but making the call wouldn't have taken that much preparation.

Do I want to go back to working in an office? While this situation is weight in favor of a return, so far the balance of advantages to disadvantages of working from home is still in favor of working from home.

But there is a difference, to be sure.

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