One of the most dreadful situations for the introverts are social gatherings such as parties and that is why it is important to refer to an introvert’s guide to parties in order to find out how one can survive a party without experiencing a panic attack.
Socialization is important to virtually anyone, even those who dread talking to other people. There are certain gatherings that you can avoid like coffee dates, wedding parties of people that you barely know and meeting people for dating purposes, but there are parties that you can definitely not avoid like work related parties, parties held by close family and friends, and also, if you have your own special event, like a birthday party or a wedding party. You have to understand that parties will involve a proper decorum for socialization, so you have to know how to act in parties if you are not really a sociable person.
The primary thing that you need to do when going to a party is to plan your goal on that party. You may be planning to enhance your career, or to connect to long lost friends. Once you map out your definite plan when attending the party, then anxiety will go away, and you will have an easier time when you socialize. You can give yourself a personal quota on all the socialization that you intend to do, so you can do your socialization, and give yourself some room to breathe when the socialization tasks become too much to handle.
Since introverts usually rest up on their “me only” time then you can recharge by spending time alone before and after a party. This is important to make sure that you are not already stressed out about meeting so many people before an event. You can spend your alone time doing whatever you want, as long as you spend it in a way that you feel relaxed. Once you feel already pumped up from your alone time, then that only means that you are ready to go and meet people by attending to parties.
Once you are already in the party, a typical introvert’s guide to parties will tell you that you should find a spot where no one really goes and assign it as the corner where you can recharge from all the socialization stress. You can spend an hour talking to people, then you can take a 20-minute break and you can go to your assigned spot and just breathe without having to talk to anyone else.
One of the things that introverts find difficult is meeting people from different social circles. If you’re an introvert who is having difficulty making small talk with people you don’t know, then you can ask for the help of your friends so you can have an easier way of approaching other people. You can have your friend start the conversation and conveniently involve you in the conversation to make the introduction smoother, that way; you don’t have to think about what to say to those people that you haven’t formally met yet. This task is also easier if you have a group of friends who will go with you to the party.
Another way surviving a party is to practice doing small talk weeks before the event. An introvert’s guide to parties states that you can start by talking about topics like the weather, current events or whatever you find fit (please refer to our making small talk information page). Make this a daily habit, and go back to your normal routine of resting the day before the event so you can recharge! This way, you won’t feel nervous about talking to other new people when you go to the party.
Lastly, make sure that you have an effective exit strategy. You can courteously call it a night with the other people you are socializing in the party, or you can ask a friend to conveniently remind you of another engagement that you need to go to.
This introvert’s guide to parties will definitely help you survive the party!
