You know it’s serious when I add a tag.
At some point yesterday my introvert battery hit zero, which is bad because I’m hosting a holiday gathering this weekend and I’m going out of town for another gathering on Christmas. I could almost feel my battery indicator sliding all the way to “empty” with a slight, final bounce. Once the battery is depleted it seems much harder to recharge than usual. Suddenly, most human interactions, or even the mere thought of them, become exhausting, and it compounds, so I am exhausted by my own exhaustion.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned that I actually need to be proactive about recharging because if I don’t, everything will go to hell. Video games are a fantastic way to recharge. I’m on overtime, so during the week I don’t have much time to play, but I need to make the time. It’s not negotiable, I will be absolutely miserable over these next few days if I don’t recharge by Saturday.
I have a Nintendo Switch, which makes gaming much more accessible and easy that it would be otherwise, so I will make a point of penciling in some Stardew Valley time. Try to write a random one-shot, something very self-indulgent. Writing fanfic used to be a good way to recharge and I wouldn’t mind getting back to that. After Minnow goes to bed we usually watch a little TV to unwind, but it’s generally something I don’t care too much about and I multitask and play a board game or otherwise disengage while we’re watching (currently, we’re in the middle of a the Office marathon). I’ll make a point of watching something more engaging, like Stumptown.
Okay, that’s three things to try. Hopefully that will help.