Not good in group

“Inte bra i grupp.” Directly translated from Swedish: Not good in group.

It’s the name of a song by one of Sweden’s biggest artists, Veronica Maggio. Yesterday evening, it was playing like a mental soundtrack for me. Not the actual song, just those four words:

Not good in group.

I was riding my bicycle home from a dinner and boule get-together with colleagues. We don’t meet up very often, so it was nice.

But for me, it was also a case of not being good in group. It’s not that I’m shy or have a problem socializing (even though it often leaves me with a social hangover). It’s just that it feels like too much.

There is so much going on at the same time…

Things happening, conversations about this and that, questions, answers, anecdotes, and people with that hunted look, ready to throw in their story. As if the main purpose of being in a group is to get yourself out to as many as possible.

It gets overwhelming. Impossible to focus. Exhausting.

It usually ends with me being the first to say, “Thank you, everyone! It’s been great, but I have to leave.” And that’s exactly what I did.

Maybe it’s that same old too many balls in the air at play, I don’t know. But I do know it feels very good that it’s Saturday. I need to recharge.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!