On the precipice of attending my 40th high school reunion, and my youngest daughter graduating high school this month, both milestones have given me a lot of food for thought about friendships.
In this post-pandemic phase of our life, people are starting to socialize again. Since we didn’t see a lot of our friends for two years as people stopped going to offices, parties, and traveling, it changed the dynamic of a lot of our relationships.
While it is awesome to be getting together again, I hear a lot of people comment that things feel “different” with their friends.
It appears people have forgotten how to socialize.
We have been staring at our phones and computers, and have been “bubbled” with just a small group for so long, that the in-person interaction is a little bit awkward.
The most common complaint I hear from friends and clients: “I feel marginalized or hurt by people I once considered close friends.”
They ask themselves:
-Have I changed?
-Did they change?
-Or was this always the dynamic… and maybe I just didn’t notice it before?
While there is no one answer, there is one universal truth: We have all changed a little bit.
Two years in relative isolation with missed milestones, and a collective fear of a deadly pandemic is bound to have an impact on EVERY individual.
So how do we find a way to reconnect to those friendships? How do we navigate through this re-entry phase? How do we overcome the grief of friendships that feel lost?
This subject is in today’s episode of “The OverThinker’s Guide to Joy.” You can listen by clicking here or on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or YouTube.
Happy Wednesday!
xo, Jacke
P.S. If you are needing help navigating a transitional time in your life, I would love to help. It starts by setting up a coaching consultation with me right here.
