Social hangover or social tiredness. When constant going out, frequent chatting, many commitments, in short, an active social life, lead to the mind and body becoming exhausted and needing a break. If you feel tired then you are in social hangover and you need to stop. A problem that, although fortunately it is not a pathology, it must be faced and understood, especially if it could be the indicator of another illness, as the experts explain.
Social hangover, the need to disconnect from the outside world
Man is a sociable animal, he needs an active life made up of relationships. But when this becomes excessive, wear and tear is just around the corner. Because, natural needs aside, Then comes the character of each person and the awareness that not everyone needs to always and constantly be among people or being overstimulated. Furthermore, in recent times the number of people who have realized that they are in social hangover has increased.
«We tend to think that being with others is by default something that lightens and recharges us, but the truth is that it can also be tiring. Socializing is challenging, especially as the number of people we feel we have to interact with increases, especially if the relationship is not intimate. At a party, at a dinner or at an aperitif, even when we are having fun, it is not so uncommon or strange to ask ourselves when is the right time to speak, when it is good to remain silent, how we appear and if we are up to the task and this it’s a bit tiring for anyone” intervenes psychologist and psychotherapist Carolina Traverso.
«By nature we are predisposed to relationships and we need them, but when these moments are too frequent and prolonged, we can experience fatigue» he adds Marco Florio, Stimulus Italia psychologist. A phenomenon that has increased significantly since the pandemic: the long periods of lockdown have made us lose the habit of hanging out with people.
How does social hangover manifest itself?
But how to understand if you are experiencing a social hangover? The psychologist Florio states that «it’s a bit like a hangover, it can manifest itself with headaches, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, irritability». Not only.
Definitely this type of hangover lowers one’s level of personal energy, also causing bad mood, the inability to think more complexly and the feeling that everything is “too much”.
Difference with burn out and social anxiety
Social hangover, burn out and social anxiety are all relatively new terms, used and abused especially in recent years, but which however have a different meaning. «Social hangover is a different state from burn out: the first is an episodic state, while burn out is a state of prolonged exhaustion linked to multiple causesone of which could also be social tiredness, but it is not the only one” explains Dr. Florio, who is echoed by Dr. Traverso: “It is also extremely important not to confuse it with social anxiety. The latter is a clinical condition, often characterized by feeling very worried even at the thought of interacting with other people and requires the support of a specialist. Social hangover, on the other hand, is an experience that can affect anyone and which we can take care of independently, once recognized.”
How to overcome social hangover
Not being a pathological form, social hangover can also be overcome independently. First of all, it is essential to realize that you are experiencing a moment of fatigue. Then It is also important to understand what the cause behind social hangover is: «Is it linked to having drunk or eaten too much and therefore do we need a bit of detox? Is it linked to an excess of commitments in relation to which it is necessary to include, in our routine, moments of rest and solitude that are essential to keep us in balance? Or to the type of people we have frequented and who, perhaps, should be let go of a bit? Sometimes social hangover is an expression of the fear of being alone, perhaps because we have been single recently or for too long and loneliness scares us? Or is it an expression of the difficulty in saying no or the belief of having to comply with the requests of a partner who is more extroverted than us? Answering these questions can give us indicators regarding which aspects of sociality were most tiring and the choices we should make to take care of ourselves» explains Dr. Traverso.
Start again from yourself: relax, without guilt
So what can we do on a practical level? «One solution is, for example, to take some space for yourselfto dedicate ourselves to an activity that we like or even simply to rest without feeling guilty” continues the doctor.
Not only that but it is also important manage daily life based on personal needs: «Find a measure that is best suited to us, for example by selecting: for example, are all the calls on the diary necessary? However, when it is not possible to escape, we prepare a lifeline with self-care practices to include in our day: Let’s carve out some time just for us to do micro-meditation, for a walk, for a break that can recharge us” suggests Dr. Florio.
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