googling shit like "why do i feel bad after hanging out with my friends" and all of the answers are either "you need better friends" (i don't; my friends are wonderful) or "your social battery is drained, you need to rest and regain your energy levels" (i don't; i've got tons of energy, it's just manifesting as over-the-top neurotic mania). why is this even happening. it's like some stupid toll i have to pay as a punishment for enjoying myself too much
I actually, genuinely think social event aftercare would fix me. I need someone to put me to bed and say "you were fun today and no one hated you"
#theres a thing called 'larp drop' thats essentially this#esp since when having a great time you might be more inclined to disregard your limits and ignore discomfort#(and forget to eat/drink if its larp whoops)#and then once you have a moment to yourself it all comes crashing in#source: once forgot to eat at larp and had a sobbing fit in my car that ended the instant i bit into a chicken nugget - @queerfarmgremlin
this is also true of festivals, conventions, pride parades, concerts, and any situation where you have a lot of fun with other people!
A supervisor of mine was talking to me about this. They recalled how they'd given up certain activities because of the huge dopamine rush they would get, which led to really bad crashes afterward. When they explained it to me, I got blasted back immediately to all the random bouts of anxiousness and even guilt (because I didn't know what to call it at the time) I would come down with, usually after hitting streaks of things going really well for me and having a really great time. I said, "THAT'S WHAT THAT IS??" They told me when they discussed it with their therapist, the therapist called it a "dopamine crash" and says it's actually super common in people who have ADHD.
