It can be challenging to leave the house when you’re all out of eye contact, but a low social battery doesn’t have to mean a life short on socialising
When I arrive at a gathering I tend to announce my departure in the same breath as my greeting. “Hi! I brought some wine, where do you want it? Just letting you know I can only stay an hour because I start work really early on Sunday mornings.” Then I might throw in a little yawn and stretch.
Restaurants aren’t much different: my leg’s likely to be jiggling before the order has been jotted down. The last mouthful of dessert sounds a last-drinks bell in my head. It’s not that I don’t love my friends. I’ve just got a window of tolerance for face-to-face activities, and then the agitation kicks in.
I’ve been so fascinated by social reluctance that I wrote a book exploring it, The Introvert’s Guide to Leaving the House. In my 30s, I’d embarked on a five-year mission to become more outgoing, figuring out which situations I could be comfortable in, and setting myself exercises in social etiquette, empathy and positive reframing. These techniques became second nature by the time I hit my 40s, so I decided to share what I’d learned.
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