The Joys of Being an Introvert

Okay, so one of the downsides of poly is that there is someone else in my space on a regular basis who isn't my husband, my kids, or even my housemate. I have to take account of this extra person (and who's playing said person on a give day shifts, as there isn't just one, although there's starring roles and special guest stars). This in itself is not a huge deal, except that I'm an introvert by nature, and the more stressed I get (especially later in the semester) the more introvert-y I become. It takes energy to be social beyond the few people I can accept as family/extended self, and I've got so many demands on my energy and time already. And I know, it may not seem like a lot, but I'm rationing to get through as it is when the demands get high.

One of the things this has brought up to me is the idea that I need to be able to ask for more alone/just family time, and if I can't have it with people, I need to be able to go and get it somewhere else. I need to get okay with taking off for a few days and finding someone who likes me, has a guest room, and doesn't mind a person in it, and just take mini-retreats every so often to recharge. If home can't be where I get my recharge time, then I need to find another way to do it, even if it means doing a short road trip or getting a hotel room down the street for a couple of days or something. There's got to be a way, right?