{"id":148830,"date":"2019-12-17T02:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T10:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=148830"},"modified":"2020-08-05T09:36:41","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T16:36:41","slug":"how-to-deal-with-holiday-parties-as-introvert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/how-to-deal-with-holiday-parties-as-introvert\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips to Deal With Holiday Parties as an Introvert"},"content":{"rendered":"

The holidays are full of fun and cheer, but for some, the bustling season can bring anxiety, exhaustion, or dread. Sound familiar? Maybe you\u2019re shy and feel nervous about hitting up your first holiday party with your new colleagues. Or, you may be introverted and feel totally drained after making your way to multiple celebrations. Either way, we pulled together five expert tips to help you thrive in social settings this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plan in advance
\n<\/b>\u201c<\/span>Introverts can really struggle with the holiday season, especially when invited to multiple events,\u201d psychologist Jo Eckler stresses. \u201cIt’s like a marathon of socializing!\u201d To beat burnout, Eckler suggests mapping out a plan. \u201cLook at your week or month as a whole and mark down the social events that you really want or need to go to. Then see where you can schedule downtime between them to be alone and recharge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Know your limits
\n<\/b>Introverts can and do enjoy events and parties! <\/span>Rachel Elder<\/span><\/a>, a licensed mental health counselor, says that it\u2019s all about knowing your limits. \u201cHow long can you stay before you feel depleted? Do you do better talking in smaller groups or larger groups? How does your body cue you when it\u2019s time to go? Identifying your limits and boundaries before you go can help set you up for success and increase your enjoyment. You get to decide how long you stay, whether you break off into smaller conversations and how to be kind to yourself at parties.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Focus on other people
\n<\/b>Feel nervous about mingling? Maybe you\u2019re afraid you won\u2019t have anything to contribute to a conversation or will feel alone at an event where you don\u2019t have many close friends. To reframe your feelings, try taking the focus off yourself and putting it on other people. \u201c<\/span>You don\u2019t need to connect with every single person,\u201d Chicago therapist Tara Genovese reminds. \u201cAnother tip is to go with a friend \u2014 specifically a more outgoing friend \u2014 that knows how to include you in the conversation. This way you are not fully responsible for having to think of something new to say and you will always be able to chime in when you want to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Go with some talking points
\n<\/b>If chatting with people you don\u2019t know or parties just ‘aren\u2019t your thing,’ having a few talking points ready can make you feel more comfortable. \u201cWhen you ask questions that you really want to know the answer to, your conversation will be authentic,\u201d life coach <\/span>Diana V<\/span><\/a>. says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cheer yourself on
\n<\/b>You\u2019re not alone if you\u2019re self-critical or judge yourself in social settings. Psychologist and professor Nora Girardi says while these types of feelings can increase stress, there is a way to stop negative thoughts in their tracks. \u201cStart simply by labeling your negative thought,\u201d she says. \u201cThis will help you get some space from them and reduce the impact on your mood. Then, use positive self-talk instead. Something like, \u2018I\u2019m here, and I can socialize and then take a break\u2019 or \u2018I\u2019m doing my best to chat; this is difficult for me but I\u2019m making it work.\u2019 Research shows the impact of changing thoughts on mood and behavior. Even if you don\u2019t enjoy the party, you will feel a sense of mastery for getting through a difficult event. You’ve got this!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"The holidays are full of fun and cheer, but for some, the bustling season can ...","author":7535368,"featured_media":148844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[260],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/17171056\/introverts.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/17171056\/introverts-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"December 17, 2019","category_name":"Life","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113832\/entertainment.svg","author_name":"Krista Gray","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#e5809b","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148830"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7535368"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}