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

Signed up for an all-day conference, but getting cold feet at the thought of spending 9-5 in a crowded, unfamiliar space with strangers?

You're not alone.

Learn how to honour your needs when attending all-day conferences and workshops so you can fully participate and learn without feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated.

Highlights:

• Time your arrival and seating.

• Take regular movement breaks.

• How hydration supports focus.

• Let nature calm your nervous system.

• Pack appropriate snacks. 

• Use earphones to create a personal bubble of calm.

• Set realistic social expectations.

Call to Action:

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This episode was edited by Aura House Productions

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Quiet Warriors
• 0:40 The Introvert's Event Anxiety
• 1:51 Strategic Conference Planning
• 4:18 Physical Self-Care During Events
• 6:10 Setting Social Boundaries
• 7:14 Final Thoughts and Closing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hi, I'm Serena Loh. If you're used to hearing that introverts are shy, anxious, antisocial and lack good communication and leadership skills, then this podcast is for you. You're about to fall in love with the calm, introspective and profound person that you are. 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.

Speaker 1: 0:40

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?

Speaker 1: 1:51

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?

Speaker 1: 2:40

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.

Speaker 1: 3:48

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?

Speaker 1: 5:20

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.

Speaker 1: 6:07

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.

Speaker 1: 6:35

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.