4 tips to prevent overstimulation
As the social world of festivals, birthday parties, dinner parties and nights out to town opened up, all the extraverts start vibrating in their seats, barely containing their excitement, while a lot of us need a moment to recuperate. Do we even really want to go to all those parties? The risk of overstimulation is high. We’re here to give you tips on how to find that social sweet spot.
You’re not alone
First and foremost, it’s important to realize that you’re not alone in this. Voice your feelings and you’ll notice lots of people feel the same way. Believe us when we say you’re not the odd one out! Feeling overstimulated - especially after everything that happened during last year - is now part of the ‘Covid Experience’.
Take a moment to reassess everything you’ve learned about yourself in the last year. Aside from the obvious negatives the situation brought along, it might have presented you the unique chance to truly take a moment to look at the way you’re living your life. What are the things you did in the bustle of life that you now realize were unimportant to you or maybe even destructive to an extent? Things you did because you were just going through the motions or because you kept putting others’ needs before your own? Before you throw the way you’ve gotten to know yourself aside to jump back into a packed social schedule, take a moment to stop and think about what you truly need.
Get back into social shape
The more you train, the better you get. That’s the case for workouts, but also for your social skills. Take it slow the first few weeks. You don’t want to go full throttle right out the gate. Five days per week to the office might not be a good idea to start with. Build it up the same way you would when you start a new workout regime. You don’t start running a marathon without any training either. Be picky. Go for those drinks with your colleagues but maybe skip out on that party. It’s not strange if you feel apprehensive about going out the first few weeks. Don’t mull over your feelings too much, it has been a while since you’ve had so much social interaction and you (and your brain) need a moment to process everything that’s happening. Push those thoughts about needing to ‘catch up’ out of your head, that kind of stress adds up. You don’t want to get stressed about things that are supposed to be fun.
Take it easy
Don’t be so hard on yourself and give yourself time to adjust. It doesn’t have to go back to how it was before. It just means you’ve changed and matured. Maybe you’ve just found a way to be even closer to your true self, without any outside influences. Accept change, and your new needs.
It’s normal to feel fatigued after social interactions and it’s fine if you don’t feel up for that one party. It all needs some getting used to. But if you feel your discomfort morph into fear or panic, or if you feel like you can’t do it alone anymore, it’s okay to reach out for help! Make an appointment with your GP and talk about it. Trust us, you don’t have to be alone in this.
Do you have more questions that need answering, or would you like to share your story with people who feel the same way? You can do so through our anonymous Cycle Forum. Sign up through this link.
