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‘Tis the season for… introverts to start panicking about the number of large group gatherings they need to attend. From gift exchanges with friends to company events and late-night New Year’s Eve parties, making it through the month of December to New Year’s Day can seem like a marathon—especially for people who don’t thrive in large group settings.

“A common misconception is that introversion is the same as shyness or social anxiety,” says Tabitha Kirkland, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Washington. “But it’s really about how you get your energy.”

Introversion and extroversion are two ends of a personality continuum, and people fall on one end or somewhere in the middle, she explains. The difference is that introverts get their energy from being alone, whereas extroverts tend to get energy from social contact and find themselves recharged and revitalized in a crowd.

Are you more on the introverted side? Here’s how to have a holiday season that you enjoy—and that doesn’t completely suck the life out of you.

Try to find time to recharge beforehand

Every time you socialize, it’s like an energy transaction, says Kirkland. Introverts start out with a lower social energy budget than extroverts. And that can easily be spent during a workday of phone calls, meetings and presentations, she says.

If that’s the case, you’ll probably feel pretty drained before you even get to the party and will be contemplating ghosting the minute you walk in the door.

In an ideal world, the best thing you can do is schedule in a couple hours of me-time before the event, says Kirkland. You can use that time to read, take a bath, or watch The Real Housewives , as long as the activity leaves you feeling relaxed and with more to give later on in the night, she says.

This can be tough in the case of after-work events. On those days, see if you can schedule less social work and more alone time into your day, Kirkland recommends.

To find out more, read the entire article here .