"Most people recognize this feeling, even if they don't quite know what to call it. You cancel plans because being around others sounds exhausting. The quiet feels like relief. Then, a day later, you feel flat, lonely, or strangely restless. When you do see people again, you enjoy parts of it, but notice how quickly your energy runs out. For many people, this rhythm feels sharper and harder to interpret than it once did."
"Time alone can be genuinely restorative. It reduces stimulation, narrows demand, and lowers the amount of effort required to stay oriented. There is less to track, fewer signals to interpret, and fewer expectations to manage. For many people, solitude creates room to think more clearly and recover from overstimulation. When life feels loud, quiet allows the nervous system to settle."
People cancel plans because socializing feels exhausting, finding relief in quiet but later experiencing flatness, loneliness, or restlessness. Reentering social situations can feel enjoyable yet quickly draining. Many infer stable personality changes or worry about withdrawing, but the pattern usually reflects limited available energy rather than an essential shift in sociability. Solitude can be restorative by reducing stimulation, narrowing demands, and lowering effort needed to stay oriented. For some, solitude creates space to think and recover as the nervous system settles. During the pandemic, isolation also provided safety and control, though population research linked it to increased loneliness and emotional distress.
Read at Psychology Today
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