Hi E_M
I feel for you so much as you face the unexpected challenges that have come with lock down. While I can't fully imagine how hard this is for you, I can relate in some way.
Living in Melbourne, the return to school had proven to be unexpectedly difficult for my 18yo daughter, a person who is normally rather social and positive. She expressed to me how she felt she was developing social anxiety and really couldn't tolerate interacting with people. It was even challenging interacting with close friends. I set out to wonder why she felt this way. A possibility came to me, which I posed to her:
Part of the way into year 12, I suggested paying her to stay home and study, so she wouldn't be dealing with a lack of study time and a casual job with crazy hours. She accepted the offer. I never realised but working allowed her the opportunity to face the challenges that come with interacting with people (including the difficult ones). When lock down hit, isolation had a similar impact, not giving her day to day challenges and achievements that come with social interaction. I asked her if she felt she had forgotten, in a way, how to naturally face and rise through the challenges that come with social interaction. She considered this as a strong possibility.
My daughter decided to start small and work up. She started pushing herself to interact with her close friends, which eventually made it a little easier to interact with people outside this circle. By the way, she was able to explain to her friends she was having difficulty with natural everyday conversation. They helped her through this. Yesterday, she actually met up with a group of people she truly likes but hasn't been all that close to throughout the year (all very natural folk). She wasn't comfortable going on her own so she asked her closest friend to go with her. She managed with the help of this friend. She's gradually finding ways to manage returning to her natural self, the self that is comfortable dealing with everyday social challenges. As I said to her, to reach the state of courage we must move through fear. There's no sense of courage without a sense of fear. Every time you feel fear in your body (as a physical emotion), you know you are beginning to work up to courage. Even though things have been challenging, she's enjoyed being courageous on numerous occasions. She is defining herself as 'courageous' and 'someone who manages challenges', sometimes with a need for help.
I hope this helps :)