Ah, the challenges of being sociable.

I’m still shaking off a cold, so I’ve had a good excuse for largely keeping to myself this past week. I’m an introvert by nature and work from home. For my own sanity, though, it is very important for me to get out of the house every once in a while and mingle with the human race.

I have a busy social calendar next week and the week after I will be attending a NAMI convention in Chicago, so there is no immediate danger of me isolating, but here’s the deal: In the brain fog of my cold, it’s just about impossible for me to recall the last time I looked forward to being around people.

Don’t get me wrong - once I am actually in the company of others I really do enjoy myself. But this is not my natural element. Increasingly, I am feeling a disconnect between my own private world and the world “out there.” Increasingly, I am finding myself indifferent to the very strange and alien world that exists outside my door. Maybe this whole man-is-a-social-animal belief is just a marketing tool to sell barbecue sauce.

Maybe I’ll cop a better attitude when I shake off this cold. 

Question: What challenges do you face in being sociable? How do you motivate yourself to get out the door?

Extra credit: If you never got invited anywhere again or had no place to go, would you really care?

Very dark themes this week, but exploring our dark side is very healthy. Please jump into the conversation. Comments below ...