Do this to prepare for reentry into normal life

Amy Shearn
Forge
Published in
1 min readMar 10, 2021

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Today’s tip: Start small. Schedule a coffee date.

With more and more people getting vaccinated, it seems likely that life will soon be feeling a bit more normal. And while this is exciting, you’d be forgiven for worrying that your social skills might be a tad rusty. So if you’re worried that you’ll find yourself totally misunderstanding rules of personal space, or lapsing mid-conversation into the voice you use to impersonate your dog, maybe it’s best to take baby steps back into human interaction.

As Ashley Abramson wrote for Forge (when we were optimistically anticipating the pandemic’s wane, uh, last spring): “To make sure you have the bandwidth to process your emotions, plan to take things slow… Try dipping your toe back into socializing with a one-on-one coffee first.”

Meet a friend for something low-stakes. Set a time limit. And enjoy that semblance of what we once thought of as regular old life.

💗 More from Forge on strengthening your friendships:

It’s Never Been Easier to be an Amazing Friend
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Why Now is the Best Time to Reconnect
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“Stretching” is the Key to Long-Lasting Friendships
Read more >>

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Amy Shearn
Forge

Formerly: Editor of Creators Hub, Human Parts // Ongoingly: Novelist, Essayist, Person