June 30, 2016 - Written by: Katie Fanthorpe

Post-Brexit: Being an EE outside of the EU

Crying into your BREXIT-cereal? Writing long rants on FB, Twitter and Instagram? Called your Mum to interrogate her about which way she voted? Chances are you’re an emotional extrovert caught in the absolute mess that is Britain since the referendum.

Despite my tongue in cheek opening, there really isn’t much to laugh about at the moment. Whatever eventually comes of the UK leaving the EU, there has been a shift which will destabilise more than just our economic standing. It is already changing what the UK is, what it stands for, and whether it will be United for much longer.

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The mood in the air is one of uncertainty. Storm clouds seem to gather with exaggerated pace. Amidst it all I, an emotional extrovert, have found myself in a total tailspin. The result wasn’t the one I wanted.

On the day, Twitter was a cluster of other disappointed, angry and extremely upset people. I was floating somewhere around these categories. I soaked in all the news, unable to take my eyes away from the rolling news screen.

The more I’ve read, the more panicked I’ve felt, and it’s only been a few days since the decision. The country I love suddenly seems strange, and I’m not sure what to do with all the emotions I have building up. I keep turning back to the internet for some comfort, but all I find is more sadness, and more hate.

Emotional extroverts (EE) are people that are very open with how they’re feeling day-to-day; less heart-on-sleeve, more heart-directly-translated-to-face. Sometimes this is channelled into being active on social media, or into talking things through with friends.

My EE tendencies are usually played out on Twitter, but over the past few days Twitter has made me feel wretched. I’m not alone in this. I have seen many friends and followers turn away in the last few days.

This is through no particular individual fault. It is the combined weight of thousands of unhappy people, and unhappy news, that is make everything feel overwhelming.

Usually, as an emotional extrovert, I would communicate my personal feelings on this at length. Yet, this time, that just doesn’t feel right.

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Although all voices are valid in these times of change, these stressful times, I am someone in a position of relative stability. I’m white, I’m English and I’m middle class. Leaving the EU will have a massive effect on my life, but I am not in the same precarious unknown as Europeans and Non-Europeans living and working in the UK currently.

I can’t help feeling that instead of channelling my emotions into panic, that there’s something else I could be doing with it. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what that is yet. I suppose it starts with this post.

There will be many people in the UK right now feeling devastated, feeling unsafe, and feeling unsure. These are people that need support. You might be reading this now from that very position. You might be in desperate need of some good news, some form of kindness.

This, I propose, is what us EEs can do, and indeed what we should all do. We can be kind.

Social media can be such a great tool for bringing people together, as well as a tool to divide. It is unclear what the right course of action is at all at the moment, so for now, I suggest kindness.

I’m going to look out for those that need a little help, online and off, in these coming weeks. I’m trying to stay away from social media other than to keep updated with the news and I will limit the amount I tweet.

If yours is a voice that needs to be heard, raise it. EEs are best at sharing, and this is a burden that needs sharing.

If you enjoyed this post, why not check out ‘FOMU – Fear of Messing Up’?