~ introvert's hangover ~

Every time I have a few busy days in a row and my social calendar looks like an illuminated manuscript threw up on it, I get a hangover.  Not a hangover, hangover, but the same symptoms just with a different cause.  Headache, exhaustion, a little dizziness, etc., etc.  Now obviously black tea is not strong enough to cause these sensations, so I chalk it up to a major case of Introvert's Over-stimulation Syndrome.

As an introvert, I pride myself in being able to keep up with the extroverts - so much so that many people don't believe that I'm NOT an extrovert.  I say yes to almost everything, I'm surrounded by college students three times a week without being the person who sits in the corner of the room and doesn't talk to anybody.  I go to a lot of movies, have lots of conversations, and occasionally have multiple events to attend in one day.  And I handle it all pretty damn well (if I do say so myself), but not without some side affects.  

After a ridiculously busy week of classes, photoshoots, a gallery opening, and a release party (more on those later), I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been hit by a double decker bus.  WHAM...exhausted (even after ten hours of sleep), horrible headache that tylenol wouldn't even touch, and a general feeling that I'd run a marathon instead of sleeping.  

 Now, you may be thinking "Psh...that's totally a hangover, hangover," but then you would be very wrong.  This, my friends, is a classic introvert's hangover - something that can only be cured with patience and solitude (and a whole bunch of hot tea), and something that I'm all too familiar with.

Though there's no way to avoid this hangover other than forcing myself to say no more often, limiting myself to one event a day, and spending lots of time recharging after a particularly busy day, it's not always that easy.  Until society stops labeling introverts as antisocial weirdos and creates a more accepting environment, I will deal with the side of affects of pretending to be an extrovert proudly.

So if you too are suffering from an introvert's hangover, fix yourself a large bowl of soup (see my recipe for Everything Soup), curl up on the couch with a blanket, watch some netflix, and write yourself a prescription for a day without social responsibilities.  Feeling better yet?

xoxo,

Eliza