Avoiding family visits or social engagements
Do you find yourself cancelling family visits or social engagements more often than you’d actually like? Perhaps you look forward to an engagement at first, but on the day itself you find yourself dreading it. You wonder whether you’ll be able to cope, whether there’ll be enough rest, and whether others understand what you need. This can cause a great deal of stress. Social engagements often require more than just being present. You have to travel, talk, process sensory input, sometimes sit or stand for long periods, and then recover afterwards. This can be too much. Avoiding such situations may feel safe in the short term, but in the long run it can mean you miss out on social contact and enjoyment.
What do you notice?
Avoiding social engagements can gradually become a pattern.
You may, for example, notice that:
- you cancel appointments due to tiredness or pain;
- avoid busy places;
- you’re worried you might have to leave early;
- if you feel uncomfortable asking for consideration for yourself;
- you will need a long time to recover afterwards;
- you have less contact with family or friends;
- you feel guilty after cancelling;
- you no longer arrange to meet spontaneously;
- you find social situations increasingly stressful.
Sometimes it can be difficult to explain why you are unable to attend. Especially if your symptoms vary or are not obvious.
