googling shit like "why do i feel bad after hanging out with my friends" and all of the answers are either "you need better friends" (i don't; my friends are wonderful) or "your social battery is drained, you need to rest and regain your energy levels" (i don't; i've got tons of energy, it's just manifesting as over-the-top neurotic mania). why is this even happening. it's like some stupid toll i have to pay as a punishment for enjoying myself too much
I actually, genuinely think social event aftercare would fix me. I need someone to put me to bed and say "you were fun today and no one hated you"
this is also true of festivals, conventions, pride parades, concerts, and any situation where you have a lot of fun with other people!
you don't get your 'social battery drained', because your brain needs a lot more than plugging into a single power source to recharge.
you need to take in water, fat, sugar, and protein to make more of the neurotransmitters that keep you thinking and feeling and governing yourself, and you need sleep to drain out the toxic backlog. and you need more food and water and sleep after periods of intense fun than you do after periods of routine work: your brain uses a massive amount of calories when you're in novel, exciting situations compared to familiar boring ones, and it still uses a lot of your calories even when you're on autopilot.
so yeah you don't just need to 'recharge' like a phone, you need to specifically top up on fresh fuel and drain out the old sludge, like a mecha.