My therapist has been working with me on a theory that I'm not really introverted, but an extrovert who has been taught that socializing is unsafe. Social dysphoria. I (AuDHD) don't fully agree because while I enjoy my individual or small group connections I still feel my battery deplete in large gatherings. But it remains an interesting hypothesis.
Your battery depleting in large gatherings may not necessarily be due to introversion though - it may be that you're still not quite comfortable or feeling "safe" socializing in large groups, and some (possibly maladaptive) coping / defense mechanisms you've built up (possibly masking) are still coming online to some extent, which is adding mental overhead and draining you more than expected?
Or maybe not - maybe I'm projecting or something lol. Best of luck in figuring it out!
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u/withgreatpower 2d ago
My therapist has been working with me on a theory that I'm not really introverted, but an extrovert who has been taught that socializing is unsafe. Social dysphoria. I (AuDHD) don't fully agree because while I enjoy my individual or small group connections I still feel my battery deplete in large gatherings. But it remains an interesting hypothesis.