72. How Not to Get Overwhelmed at In-Person Events as an Introvert and HSP

Discover what's fun , unique and powerful about being an introvert , and how to make the elegant transition from quiet achiever to quiet warrior in your life and work anytime you want , in more ways than you imagined possible . Welcome , welcome to the Quiet Warrior podcast .

Today we're talking about in-person events and how to manage them as an introvert and a highly sensitive person . So you may be required to attend a work conference , or you signed up to a personal development workshop on a topic you're really interested in and you're excited about it . The speaker is someone you look up to .

You've been studying this topic for some time . You want to learn more . So you've paid the money , you've booked a ticket , you've cleared your schedule . Now all you need to do is to show up . But as the day gets closer , you find yourself not quite so enthusiastic as when you first clicked that payment button . Suddenly , you're thinking how do I get there ?

How long will I be there ? How am I going to manage myself from hour to hour for a whole day conference that starts at 9 in the morning and finishes at 5 in the evening , and it may be for one day , it may be for two days , but how am I going to cope ?

So recently I had the opportunity to attend a two-day conference with Dr Bessel van der Kolk , author of the Body Keeps the Score . He was here in Melbourne and that was exactly my story . I had booked the ticket , cleared my schedule , was really looking forward to it months in advance , and then , as the day got closer , I got nervous . So here's what I did .

The first thing I did was to arrive early each day , so I had plenty of time to familiarize myself with the venue and the layout . Look for the very important bathrooms . And the thing I did differently this time was to find a seat at the end of the row for easy exits . Now you might be thinking why easy exits ? Why are they important ?

One thing I've noticed is that when I am in a crowded space and it goes suddenly quiet , everyone's paying attention to the speaker . Sometimes I get this feeling of oppression , like things are closing in on me .

It could be the topic itself that's heavy , it could just be my current emotional state , but something in me feels like it's triggered and wants to get away .

Feels like it's triggered and wants to get away , and so for moments like that , which I cannot plan for , I need a quick way to get out of the room without stepping over other people and drawing attention to myself or distracting someone .

So that's why I see to myself at the end of a row , and it was a good thing I did , because there was one particular session where we were asked to clear our throats or say our name or something , and all of a sudden I found myself choking and I couldn't stop .

I just kept coughing , and so it was a good thing I was seated at the end of a row and could quickly leave the room . So that's the first thing I did to arrive early so I can strategize where I sit . The second thing I did was that at every break time , I went for a walk to re-stimulate my blood circulation after sitting for hours .

Now , when I was in my 20s and 30s , this didn't bother me at all . I could sit for hours and not register anything , but I've noticed , especially now in perimenopause , that my blood circulation has been really affected , and so it's important for me to get up and move . The third thing I did was to stay hydrated , because

dehydration affects your cognitive capacity . It really does affect the brain , and so I kept my drink bottle topped up . Every break time I would go and top it up a little bit more , drink some more , and so on . The fourth thing I did was to make sure I went out in nature .

So I took advantage of where the venue was being located in the city , close to a river , lots of trees around , and during the lunch break I went out , soaked in that sunshine , looked at the birds , stood by the water , just watched those waves going up and down and in and out , and topped up my vitamin D .

Now a lot of women have got vitamin D deficiency and that's going to affect our bones and joints and our health generally as we get older . So something to think about how can you incorporate nature and reconnect while you're out and about and reconnect while you're out and about ? Another thing I did was to make sure I packed lots of snacks .

This was for my blood sugar level . Now . I hadn't paid attention to blood sugar levels before I had perimenopause , but now I'm very aware that a drop in blood sugar can affect my concentration . It can make me dizzy . Even so , I packed nuts , I packed dark chocolate , I packed dates as a quick way to give myself that little boost .

Another thing I did was to make sure I had my earphones with me and to plug into my favorite playlist during breaks . So , instead of taking in other people's conversations and all the noise and the chaos around me , I tuned out and into my own little bubble of positive energy music , and that kept my mood high .

And finally , you might be thinking what about talking

to people ? That's the thing we all fear , isn't it ? Being in a space where we don't know anyone and then you have to talk to people that you don't know . Well , I spoke to a total of three new people over two days . That's not a lot , is it ? But to me , I had a great time and I didn't feel drained .

I think those conversations probably lasted 30 seconds each and they were very by-the-way type of conversations . I didn't go out of my way to talk to people because I had decided that I was there to learn and I wanted that time for myself . It's a kind of looking-after-myself time .

It's a time of replenishing , doing the things that my inner sage archetype loves , which is learning for the sake of learning , and I didn't feel I had capacity for socializing and so I didn't . So I wonder which of these tips is helpful for you .

I look forward to hearing from you , and remember to rate and review this podcast so that the Quiet Warrior podcast can get in front of more introverts around the world . See you on the next episode

. I'm so grateful that you're here today If you found this content valuable . See you on the next episode .