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In some respects, socializing during coronavirus quarantining is easier than before. You no longer have to change out of your pajamas or get off the couch to hang out with friends or family.

But even virtual get-togethers can be taxing in their own way. Receiving a bunch of invitations to FaceTime, Zoom , Google Hangout and Houseparty can feel overwhelming when youre exhausted just trying to get through the day.

Being quarantined has added a layer of emotional stress, along with doing our paid jobs, cooking more, and perhaps homeschooling our children or supervising their online classes, social psychologist Susan Newman , author of The Book of No: 365 Ways to Say it and Mean itand Stop People-Pleasing Forever , told HuffPost. Factor in wiping down groceries and cleaning. Most of us are not chilling out and watching Netflix or TV.

As Vices Rachel Miller put it , Simply being alive during a pandemic requires a ton of energy.

Hardest introvert thing right now is extracting yourself from lengthy Zooms when your friends know you have nowhere else to be

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Hardest introvert thing right now is extracting yourself from lengthy Zooms when your friends know you have nowhere else to be
Brit Bennett (@britrbennett) March 28, 2020

So why is it hard to say no when someone wants to make plans with us, digital or otherwise?

In general, we have a tough time when we think were letting people down, Newman said. If you are a people-pleaser who wants to keep others happy or someone who avoids confrontation, you will have more trouble saying no to meeting up virtually, she said. You might also worry you will miss something important, even fun, by not joining in.

Under normal circumstances, if a pal asks you to do something and youre busy, you just say so your kid has a birthday party that day or youre out of town for the weekend. But now, with almost everyone home all the time, legitimate reasons for declining invitations are harder to come by.

Because you are home and they know it, your usual outs are out, Newman said. You cant claim you are racing off to a meeting, you have a date or are driving your child to a soccer game.

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