So I am still pretty exhausted from the con. It probably didn’t help that I had to get up early and go to work today…but, such is life.
I spent a good deal of time on my drive yesterday thinking about energy, and exhaustion, and cons, and the whole introvert/extrovert thing you hear so much about, and all that. And I’m not sure I have much to add to the general discussion, but I do definitely have thoughts about how to manage my own capabilities a little better in the future.
Though I enjoy people, I am definitely on the introvert side of the scale. I find social interactions draining–even though I like socializing, I seek it out, and I adore my friends–but I leave a social experience feeling tired and needing to recharge.
A con is like a SUPER INTENSE DOUBLE EXTRA CONCENTRATED pile of social interactions, all jumbled on top of one another–indeed overlapping and interrupting and with not enough time for any of it. Plus panels and readings and too much alcohol. (And for introverts who use alcohol to relax and make socializing easier…yeah. Not a great formula for health and energy.)
So it occurred to me, yesterday, driving eleven hours, that I was actually finding the drive more relaxing than I found being at the con. And I was further thinking about ways I might make cons easier for myself in the future–and therefore more productive, then and after, because I won’t get so overwhelmed and feel so draggy for days after.
In no particular order:
-I’m going to stop signing up for panels. Those are an incredible drain on me, and I’m no good at them anyway. I don’t enjoy them, and I don’t add much to them. They’ve always been hard for me. For a while I thought maybe they were getting easier, but no, they’re not. So for the future, I’ll go sit in audiences, and maybe even comment or ask questions, but I’m done being on the panel itself. (I’ll still do readings, though, if the con will let me; readings aren’t nearly so hard for me.)
-I need to be smarter about blocking out “down time” for myself, to just go to my room and read, or log in, or nap, or whatever. Time when I am entirely alone (or with Mark, if he’s with me). Time when I can relax my face muscles and be “off”.
-If Chaz wants to order another bottle of wine, he’s more than welcome to, and I needn’t feel any obligation to help him drink it. 🙂
-If possible, it might be nice to arrange to arrive at a con early and/or stay a little later. I don’t know about this one…I also find being away from home stressful, and I’m trying to be frugal about hotel costs/etc, but last weekend definitely featured an extraordinary amount of rushing around, not having enough time to be anywhere I was before it was time to hurry off to the next place.
It’s funny. I don’t remember being this much of an introvert when I was younger. I was “shy,” as we called it then, but I always enjoyed one-on-one friendships/interactions, and didn’t seem to need recharging time. Maybe my life already featured enough alone time that I didn’t need to work to preserve it; or maybe living alone now has made that need greater; I don’t know.
Food for thought.
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And a couple of random photos from my trip.
From my motel room in Yreka, a confusing mixed message:
Yes, an ashtray with a “no smoking” symbol on it.
And, Mom’s kitty says hi:
