Can You Have a ‘Social Hangover’?
We recently celebrate my daughter's 5th birthday and we put on a big party for her friends and cousins to celebrate. It was so fun to watch her in her element. The previous day we also celebrated her best mate's birthday as well. It was a weekend jam packed full of wholesome birthday parties. It was a very different kind of social weekend that I just was not used to.
Monday rolled around and I felt like I was on edge, anxious, irritable and it kind of resembled the hangover I would have had if I had been out for a few drinks with my own friends. I wondered how I still got to this point if I hadn't even been drinking. Was a social hangover possible for the millennial mum trying to do it all? Was this the result of pandemic times or was it because I work from home and don't directly socialise with adults all week?
Anyway down a rabbit hole of research I went into to explore whether social hangovers were real and in fact they are!
What is a social hangover?
A feeling of pure exhaustion after socialising to the point where you feel emotionally drained, irritable, anxious and craving peace and quiet away from everyone.
This used to be something only explored with by introverts or people with neurodivergence but since the pandemic it has become more of a common occurrence in that many people who have been more social are finding themselves rundown, foggy and frazzled after socialising.
Why do we feel this way?
Neuroscience has in the answer for this in that it explains that we can feel this way because when we go through long periods of change, stress and crisis (such as a pandemic) it can impact and change us, particularly our brain chemicals as well.
During the lockdown, our situations became the new normal over a period of time - staying inside, connecting via technology and learning to sit with ourselves. Also during this time with our new routines we created new neuropathways of what our normal is and this can add to our anxieties, fears and limiting beliefs. When we are stressed, and cortisol increases this can also impact our cognitive functioning and lead to brain fog - where we feel overwhelmed and are not able to focus clearly or take any more in.
What can we do now to adjust to our new normal?
It is important that we listen to our bodies and not over committing ourselves - especially when we are feeling exhausted after socialising.
It is important to also do the following:
- get some rest and recharge your battery in a way that you enjoy
- ground yourself in nature and you will probably feel good for moving your body (there is also plenty of research that says that exposure to green spaces can increase happiness and decrease stress)
- reframe your exhaustion as an indicator of all the fun that was had - look for the positive in the moment
- you might also find it helpful to use fragrances and essential oils to calm yourself
- find what works for you and schedule rest
If you are finding that these symptoms of social exhaustion continues then it is always encouraged to seek further advice to help manage these symptoms.
