Last Thursday I work up in a state. Parched, exhausted, bleary-eyed
and with a headache that was much more understandable in my twenties
when clubbing and partying was a regular pastime. But... I hadn't been
drinking or merrymaking. The night before, I snuggled with my spouse and
my dogs, watched Netflix and went to sleep.
Still, it was
the morning after of what had been a long ordeal. I'm an introvert. I
generally need some downtime after intense, public interactions.
In
the previous seven days I had hosted a nationally webcasted Armchair
Discussion featuring the Secretary of the Treasury Board plus two ADMs
and other important guests, been interviewed on BPTV, and been checked
out eight times as a Human Library book at the Innovation Fair.
I loved it, and it wiped me out. Completely.
I
appreciate attention as much as the next person. I enjoy interaction
with people—I'm still a registered social worker and I host a
government-themed
podcast in my spare time. But I'd never experienced so many extraordinary situations in such a small space of time.
I
guess I feel compelled to write this because it's the first time that
the intensity of public exposure has ever left me with an after-effect
that felt like illness. Like recovery after a mild, self-induced
poisoning. Like those awful hangovers from my early twenties.
Introverts,
I'm calling you: here in this comfortable digital space where we do
some of our best work. How does post-event recovery feel for you? What
helps you to feel like yourself again, beyond just spending some quality time alone? And what if your life makes it difficult to have alone time?