If you’re an introvert, it’s likely that you’ve experienced an introvert hangover at one point in time. It’s also possible you may not have realized it when you had one.
An introvert hangover is essentially a side effect introverts encounter as a result of too much socialization.
Personally, I’ve always preferred to call it a social hangover since the socializing is what causes the hangover. But it’s more commonly referred to as an introvert hangover. For the purpose of this post, I’ll use both terms interchangeably.
Let’s take a look at what a social hangover is, what causes it, how to avoid it, and how to recover from it.
What’s an Introvert/Social Hangover?
An introvert or social hangover is that drained, rundown, wrung out, foggy feeling you get after you’ve socialized too much. It may also occur if you’ve been too overstimulated for a moderate or extended period of time.
It’s a form of extreme mental and physical exhaustion that comes when introverts don’t have enough time to recharge. And if you think about it, this actually makes a lot of sense.
If we know introverts get their energy from being alone, then it’s easy to see how too much socialization or overstimulation will zap us of our energy. And if we continue to socialize or be overstimulated, we’re giving away energy we don’t have.
This exhausts our limited energy resources and leaves us with some mental and physical side effects.
What Causes an Introvert/Social Hangover
What causes
Typically, a contributing factor to an introvert hangover is also lack of time to recharge in between events.
For example, if you’re like me, and you’re someone who’s drained by loud noises and crowds, that rock concert mentioned above might really take a lot out of you. However, if the concert is happening on a Saturday night, after you’ve had a quiet reading day, it might not result in an introvert hangover.
On the other hand, if the concert happens on a Friday night, after a hectic day at work, with barely any time in between, you might find yourself with a social hangover after the event.
How to Avoid an Introvert/Social Hangover
Don’t over book yourself
Despite what we may have been lead to believe, we all have control over our own schedules! You don’t have to agree to go to every event or activity you’re invited to.
If you already have a family party on the calendar for Saturday afternoon, it might not be the best idea to add a night out with friends Saturday night. Instead, ask your friends if a different day or a different weekend.
On technique that massively helped me balance my social time and downtime is my social tracking system. Since I started using this system I’ve noticed that not only is my life more balanced, but I have a lot more energy and significantly fewer social hangovers.
Plan recharge time
Sometimes free time is time we can give away to others and sometimes, free time is time we need to keep to ourselves.
As introverts, we need time to recharge to be our optimal selves. It’s not selfish to plan and protect time that’s just for you.
Blocking out time on a regular basis will help keep your energy levels up. This means you’ll have more energy to give social events and high stimulation activities.
The more you do to keep your energy levels up, the less frequently and/or less likely you’ll be to suffer from a social hangover.
Make modifications to events
Sometimes, there are busy days/weekends/weeks, and there are events and activities that we genuinely want or need to be at. In those situations, consider modifying the events you can so you can get the most out of them without draining yourself in the process.
For example, let’s stick
Similarly, if you’ve got a busy weekend and it’s possible to go late or leave some event early, do it! This can help you steal downtime and get a quick recharge.
How to Recover from an Introvert/Social Hangover
Create Downtime ASAP
As much as we would like to avoid social hangovers all together, sometimes they sneak up on us and sometimes they’re unavoidable. When that happens, the first priority is to create time to recover.
If this means canceling a non-essential plan/appointment or calling out sick from work, do it! You might not feel legitimately sick, but for introverts, if we’re not giving ourselves time to recharge, then we’re not taking care of ourselves. And you will be a better and more productive employee if you go back to work on top of your game.
Take this downtime to be ALONE reading, watching TV, gardening, or doing whatever makes you happy.
Sleep
One way to help restore your energy levels is to get some sleep. If you’re in the middle of an introvert hangover, it’s likely that you’ll need more sleep than usual. It’s also likely that you’ll feel way more exhausted than you think you should.
This is normal!
Consider going to be early, sleeping in, taking a nap, or some combination of all three. Again, this isn’t being lazy! This is taking care of yourself.
Create a calm, low stimulation environment
Part of being an introvert means we’re more sensitive to sensory stimulation. This stimulation can feel extra intense when we’re suffering from an introvert hangover.
To help with recovery, create a calming, low-stimulation environment. This can include low lighting, soothing music, and low stimulation activities like reading or writing. This will help keep you from exerting too much energy while you’re trying to recover.
Looking for more in-depth tips on how to avoid and navigate introvert hangovers?
If you want to dig a little deeper into this topic, check out the Introvert Life Guide!
This guide was designed to help you build the introvert life of your dreams. And it’s full of plenty of tips and tricks to help you navigate introvert hangovers, learn how you can best recover from them, and how to effectively avoid them altogether.
It will also help you embrace your introverted nature and build a life to help you thrive!
Sound off: What’s been your experience with introvert/social hangovers? How do you avoid them? How do you recover?
All of these are SO TRUE! I just came off of working for several years under some extreme burnout. I was laid off of my last job and instead of jumping right back in to the first job I could find, I am taking the summer to really find what would be really life giving to me! I have needed not working these last few months after being so insanely burned out. As bummed as I was to be laid off, I’m so thankful for this time to be intentional with self care!
I had a very similar experience a few years ago! I didn’t realize how fried I was until I lost an opportunity, and in the end, it was for the best. I definitely didn’t have the bandwidth to do the job I wanted and the time off was exactly what I needed! I hope you have an insanely restorative summer! <3
hello, i just recently got burned out. i moved to a city from a very small island and with all the running around, noise, people, expectations to adapt. i was sick i mean tottaly burned out. i went crazy amd threw out some things in my house evem though im a minimalist evem the smallest of items eas noisy to me. i spent the day with the phone off making myself take a break from all the noise. it was well worth it. i’ll remember next time just walking in a city can be overwhelming.