Allison Chawla, a psychotherapist and certified coach who works in Rhinebeck, NY, assured me that many of her clients feel a similar way. “It’s a huge issue,” Chawla said. “There’s that phrase: If you don’t use it, you lose it. The same goes with social interactions—we’ve forgotten how to do it.” Socialization, Chawla said, is all about sharing things you have in common with others. “But we’ve all been mourning and hearing only about that pandemic or other tragedies,” she explained. “We have nothing else to talk about right now, and even trying to be nostalgic can be painful for some people. It’s uncomfortable to think about the pleasurable things.” Rebecca Weingarten, a counselor, suggests that people still try to connect, even if just in small groups. “Assert yourself in a comfort zone, and don’t try to move out of it too much,” she said. “Slowly get used to getting back in the swing of things. If you go to one party, maybe plan to go to another in two weeks, three weeks, a month so you have a break. And when you get home from a gathering, do something you loved doing while you were in quarantine.”