1. As an introvert, social situations can make you feel quite anxious.
2. Especially when they involve big groups and people you don't know very well.
3. You probably feel most comfortable when you're alone, or with just a couple of your closest friends.
4. And yet your FOMO means that every time there's a big night out, your guilt makes you feel like you have to go.
5. Each time plans are made, you engage yourself in a big internal debate.
6. And you stress a lot about where you're going and who's going to be there.
7. You can't win either way – if you stay in you feel like you're missing out on a great night.
8. And like you're letting down your close friends who are going – the people you actually want to see.
9. You sit at home thinking about all the fun everyone must be having, and regretting your decision.
10. And yet when you do force yourself to go, you find yourself wishing you'd stayed home – especially during the awkward early stages of the night.
11. You feel fine and happy when you're talking to friends, but sometimes you end up getting stuck with a stranger.
when you at a party & a stranger start talking to you
12. Which means having to go through the hell of small talk, while constantly worrying about awkward silences and what the other person thinks of you.
13. The night does tend to get easier as it goes on, and most of the time you do end up enjoying it.
14. But that doesn't make it any easier to succumb to your FOMO and force yourself out the next time a big event comes around.
15. It's difficult, because your introvert tendencies and your FOMO basically battle each other every time you get invited to something, and it can get quite tiring.
16. You find yourself having to come up with a lot of different excuses, doubting that your friends are believing them.
17. But you have to look after yourself, and sometimes you feel like you just need a night in.
18. At the end of the day, if you decide not to go, there are always more nights – so you're not really missing out on anything.
19. And if you do go, but it turns out not to be much fun, you can always slip off home and tuck up in bed with your laptop.
That's the good life.
