5 Excuses Introverts Use When They Don't Want To Go Out

Sometimes, you just don’t want to talk to other people.

For introverts, articulating the times when you want to be left alone can be all the more challenging.

You don’t want to hurt your friends’ feelings, but you want to spend some time without them around, with your dog, curled up with a good book and away from the rest of the world.

Here are five things the awkward introvert says when he or she simply does not want to talk to you, but still wants to maintain your friendship.

1. "I have this event/thing I need to go to and I need to prepare."

It could be next week, but your friends don’t need to know that. It could be next month, but you’ll use the excuse, anyway, to shirk any responsibilities with which you don’t want to deal.

You miss the days when you could blame your lack of wanting to see anyone on a family dinner or your fourth cousin’s wedding. Now that you’re an adult, knowing those aren’t plausible ways to get out of things makes you feel a little bit upset.

2. "I’m sick."

Pulling out the classics can always seem like the way to go. You’ve used this one since you were a child and you would lay on the floor, moaning, in order to make it believable enough for you to skip school.

Don’t forget the time when you used the hairdryer to make it seem like you had a fever.

You use the skills you’ve learned to convince your friends you cannot go out to the club tonight because of the cold you’ve had… for three months.

3. "Oh, he/she will be there? I better not go."

You’re more than willing to fake a crush on a certain person simply to get out of seeing people. You’ve never been much into surprise parties, and it’s easier to fake that your heart was broken back in the day than to jump out from behind a couch.

Any good friend will give you an out when he or she hears how that person trampled your fragile heart. You find yourself saying, “I just need some more time” while painting your nails and watching "The Princess Diaries" for the 416th time.

4. "I haven’t done laundry in two months."

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and you’re willing to sacrifice your façade of reliability and cleanliness in order to get out of an event to which you do not want to make it.

There are several variations of this excuse, like the trusty, old-fashioned, “I need to wash my hair” and the childish, “My room is a mess.” Anyway, you only pull this out when you are feeling completely at a loss.

It’s an excuse that may cause judgment and the hatred of your friends.

5. "I’m being held hostage."

When all other excuses fail, it’s time to go big or go home. Using kidnapping as an excuse (UFOs optional) might gain a raised eyebrow or two from your friends, but think about how much you really do not look forward to your frenemy’s bridal shower.

Any major disaster will do — fire, flood, a broken computer. Just make sure to mention that the police and fire departments don’t need to be involved.

Otherwise, it’ll be impossibly awkward when you try to explain to the hunky fireman that all you wanted to do was curl up with a good book and tea while in your pajamas.