I returned to work from office a while back and it was really hard to keep up my social energy high enough. First day I did ok with the excitement of meeting new people aiding me but it was downhill ever since. Showing up to work is itself a huge chore, and the societal obligation to socialise with people at the workplace all the time, is even bigger chore.
For more context, I only used to maintain very small circle of people I talk to in my uni and college days. Ignoring others was kinda ok at that time but doesn’t seem like so here in corporate space.
Don’t get me wrong, I want to be more free and connect with more people and have bigger circles, I want to improve my social skills too. But at the same time, it very taxing and almost makes me to shut off myself and avoid going to places where people who recognise me.
I kind of just set the bar that “this” is the level of enthusiasm and energy you can expect from me – I’m not a cheerleader.
Improving your social skills is a valid goal. But in the context of a workplace – make sure it’s aligned. Will people listen to you and your guidance on a project? Have you built up enough rapport to delegate or assign work? Etc.
Oh if it’s work related, I’d be more than happy to talk.
In my post I am talking about the interactions we are forced to have during the breaks. And people don’t like you talking about work during break too. At times, wish I could disappear during breaks. This is why wfh is so much better.
If possible - feel free to go on walks by yourself during breaks or go listen/watch something under a tree nearby but out of sight. Maybe find a coworker or two to go on walks with you.
You don’t have to go 100% social or antisocial - but maybe sprinkling in one or the other could help re-energize.
I typically have on-sites once a quarter and 4 days of meetings and dinners can be quite a swing from my usual remote hermit lifestyle. In addition to sporadic walk breaks between meetings, I will try to duck out an hour or two before we all go out for dinner – my coworkers are pretty understanding that I’m using this time to recharge or run/workout.