‘Zoom, House Party and FaceTime: How I ended up overwhelmed by a busier social life under lockdown’

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ooh, tricky – I mean, I’ve got half an hour between Zoom pilates and my FaceTime girls dinner, but that’s cutting it a bit fine…” If I thought life under lockdown would be the perfect antidote to hectic London living to soothe my inner introvert, I’d obviously temporarily lost my mind. Seeing people’s faces on the computer screen as they laughed and drank wine on their sofas and voiced the same anxieties – both trivial and mammoth – that I was feeling became a bright spot amid all the murky uncertainty I felt a stab of panic – how could it be that I was busier than ever without setting foot outside my own home? But really, I look forward to the day when we’re settled into lockdown life enough to eschew this insane virtual social etiquette. I look forward to the day it becomes acceptable to say, “Sorry I can’t – I need to spend some time staring at the wall and gently rocking back and forth while contemplating our bleak and unknowable future.” I look forward to ending a video call after five minutes with the parting words, “Right, I’ve had enough, thank you and goodbye.” Most of all, I look forward to the day I am allowed out of the house again, and yet see a gloriously blank, unblemished diary page before me – one still just itching to be filled.