How are you handling the post pandemic socializing??
bebeisfit
Posts: 951 Member
In Chicago restaurants are open to nearly full capacity. Most places don't require a mask anymore. Even my gym - if you bring in proof of being vaccinated you don't need to wear a mask.
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I love that I can expand my circle. But....and it's a big "but", my husband is immuno compromised. My age (over 60) makes me immuno compromised. So right now I am only comfortable being maskless around people that I know are fully vaccinated. That may change, but not right now.
Here's my biggest current post-COVID socialization challenge: Remember all those "pandemic puppies"? We picked up our puppy on March 1st of last year, just before everything went crazy. I've been talking to other people about it and we are all finding that our dogs, even though they are now adults, have missed a lot of learning and we're having to go back to puppy basics on a few things. For example, my dog has no idea how to behave when we visit people in their homes. My previous dogs were often invited along with us when we visited and they knew to say hello, play with the other person's dog for a bit, and then just lay down beside me for the evening. The first time we visited someone post-pandemic my dog was an absolute hooligan! So we are now working on all the social graces she never had the opportunity to learn during COVID. So please be patient when you see a person struggling to teach their adult dog acceptable social behaviours. It's no one's fault. The dogs just have no idea how to behave and need extra guidance
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I am uncomfortable being maskless around a lot of people, so I still wear it to the mall, grocery store, etc. I thought that I would be excited to socialize, but I'm not. I've always been socially awkward, and I let my weight keep me from socializing. I swore that I would change that after the pandemic, but I am still the same awkward person I was before- lol- I had one dinner out with friends and I couldn't wait for it to end.0
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I am fully vaccinated, and only wear my mask when I don't feel comfortable. I am not a shopper, so I don't need to worry about stores, etc. I have been to restaurants and the tables are still pretty far apart, or we dine outdoors. I kind of lost touch with some people, so that is difficult for me. A few groups I belonged to kind of "broke up" during the pandemic. I think it is tough for most of us to just jump back in and socialize like we used to. I believe it will still take time. Then add healthy eating to the mix....ugh. Oh wait, I should correct myself. I eat healthy, I just tend to eat too much! I hope you all have a peaceful and happy holiday!1
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janet41283 wrote: »I am fully vaccinated, and only wear my mask when I don't feel comfortable. I am not a shopper, so I don't need to worry about stores, etc. I have been to restaurants and the tables are still pretty far apart, or we dine outdoors. I kind of lost touch with some people, so that is difficult for me. A few groups I belonged to kind of "broke up" during the pandemic. I think it is tough for most of us to just jump back in and socialize like we used to. I believe it will still take time. Then add healthy eating to the mix....ugh. Oh wait, I should correct myself. I eat healthy, I just tend to eat too much! I hope you all have a peaceful and happy holiday!
That's me too! I am the healthiest eater I know, but portion control is my weakness.0 -
janet41283 wrote: »I am fully vaccinated, and only wear my mask when I don't feel comfortable. I am not a shopper, so I don't need to worry about stores, etc. I have been to restaurants and the tables are still pretty far apart, or we dine outdoors. I kind of lost touch with some people, so that is difficult for me. A few groups I belonged to kind of "broke up" during the pandemic. I think it is tough for most of us to just jump back in and socialize like we used to. I believe it will still take time. Then add healthy eating to the mix....ugh. Oh wait, I should correct myself. I eat healthy, I just tend to eat too much! I hope you all have a peaceful and happy holiday!
That's me too! I am the healthiest eater I know, but portion control is my weakness.
When people say "Oh all I had to do was cut out junk food or fast food and I lost weight" it makes me want to scream LOL I never ate junk food. Or fast food. So that wasn't an option for me. The problem was always.portion control!
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ridiculous59 wrote: »janet41283 wrote: »I am fully vaccinated, and only wear my mask when I don't feel comfortable. I am not a shopper, so I don't need to worry about stores, etc. I have been to restaurants and the tables are still pretty far apart, or we dine outdoors. I kind of lost touch with some people, so that is difficult for me. A few groups I belonged to kind of "broke up" during the pandemic. I think it is tough for most of us to just jump back in and socialize like we used to. I believe it will still take time. Then add healthy eating to the mix....ugh. Oh wait, I should correct myself. I eat healthy, I just tend to eat too much! I hope you all have a peaceful and happy holiday!
That's me too! I am the healthiest eater I know, but portion control is my weakness.
When people say "Oh all I had to do was cut out junk food or fast food and I lost weight" it makes me want to scream LOL I never ate junk food. Or fast food. So that wasn't an option for me. The problem was always.portion control!
Yeah, me too, though I'll admit to eating quite a few calorie-dense foods when fat (a whole-grain, all-natural home-baked cinnamon roll is still a calorie bomb!).
But mostly portion control. In adulthood, I've not been a soda/pop drinker, don't go to fast food restaurants (except when traveling with friends who like them 🙄), have been vegetarian since 1974 and whole-foods-y in my core eating. I eat the same foods now I always did, just different portions, proportions, frequencies.
Back to the OP question:
I'm still masking when out in stores & such with strangers. Saturday, I even put one on in a semi-crowded farmers market (roof, no walls, close people).
I'm trying to push my comfort zone to start doing other things I'd cut back during the thick of the pandemic, that my rational brain thinks are reasonably safe but my emotional brain still marks as slightly scary/"abnormal". (Vaccination rates are decent-ish here, case counts down a lot, I'm fully vaccinated.) Examples: Going to stores slightly more often for optional but desired purchases, not grocery shopping like a prepper in a bunker. (I was grocery shopping once every 3-5 weeks, freezing strategically in the basement chest freezer, etc; now I'm getting staples every week or two).
As an aside, I did pick up a few habits I think I'll keep, just to limit shopping trips for practicality's or time-efficiency's sake. As a trivial example, I like a lemon or lime wedge in my morning cold matcha. During the pandemic, I started buying more of them, cutting them up, layering in a freezer-safe plastic-lidded pyrex, and using them frozen. That's actually more convenient that buying a couple once a week for fresh use, tastes just as nice.
I've eaten in restaurants twice now, without a mask while eating, once indoors, once in an uncrowded roofed patio/semi-open tent, in one case with vaccinated friends at my table, the other by myself.
I've gotten together a handful of times now, indoors, in homes, with friends who are also fully vaccinated, without masking.
I haven't been back to group fitness classes at the Y.
For one, I'm quite sure I got sick from someone there shortly before the pandemic. It wasn't Covid, but a cold or some other respiratory thing the woman on the next bike at spin class had - over a couple of weeks, she kept sniffling/sneezing, blowing her nose on paper towels from the dispenser between us, tossing them in a nearby wastebasket . . . then I came down with something soon after. I have early COPD that's largely asymptomatic, but respiratory bugs usually result in weeks of persistent coughing; this time it went all the way to chest CT because I'm a cancer survivor and they were wondering if it was lung metastases. Neither I nor my insurance company need that kind of $%&*.
For two, I bought a stationary bike for home over the Winter, so I don't need spin class as much for exercise variety.
I don't know if or when I'll go back to classes 🤷♀️, since I have what I need for decent workouts at home (rower, bike, weights, etc.).1 -
ridiculous59 wrote: »
Here's my biggest current post-COVID socialization challenge: Remember all those "pandemic puppies"? We picked up our puppy on March 1st of last year, just before everything went crazy. I've been talking to other people about it and we are all finding that our dogs, even though they are now adults, have missed a lot of learning and we're having to go back to puppy basics on a few things. For example, my dog has no idea how to behave when we visit people in their homes. My previous dogs were often invited along with us when we visited and they knew to say hello, play with the other person's dog for a bit, and then just lay down beside me for the evening. The first time we visited someone post-pandemic my dog was an absolute hooligan! So we are now working on all the social graces she never had the opportunity to learn during COVID. So please be patient when you see a person struggling to teach their adult dog acceptable social behaviours. It's no one's fault. The dogs just have no idea how to behave and need extra guidance
We are in the same boat! Picked up our 10 week old Rough Collie right before lock down and obviously had to cancel all her puppy classes. We need to take her to remedial classes although she is generally very good. She definitely had to be more socialized with other dogs, she was a nervous wreck at the dog park in the Fall! We just did it slowly. But we are the ones who need training as we had never had a dog as a family.
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