I’m not sure if socializing fatigue is a true condition, but if it’s not then I’ve suffered from whatever the real name for that is. SXSW is the perfect storm for this condition to truly rear its ugly head. Shows, panels, parties, friends in town…all of the things!
I’m here to say, if you are an incredibly social person like me, you have the permission to not make that next social commitment you are about to say yes to. You can if you want to, but just remember that quantity does not equal quality.
I think you’re suffering from overcommitting socially if:
- You “just can’t even” when someone mentions any new event that’s going on.
- You have crippling FOMO every time you check on events that are happening in your network, groups or town.
- You’ve met the same person 5 times and still can’t remember their name.
- Or worse, you’ve told the same person on more than 3 different occasions “nice to meet you”
- You stop wanting to be at events that you initially were looking forward to.
- You find yourself thinking ahead to the 5-10 events you have tomorrow while in the middle of a conversation at an event today.
- There’s more criteria, but I’m at an event so I have to cut this list short.
Seriously, give yourself the gift of saying No to invites. It’s liberating and awesome to be in a state where you can be present at every social outing you attend. Try it out, and if you find a better way to do things let me know.