I 💯% need my alone time to recharge, or I start falling apart. Things that can happen if I'm don't get quiet alone time:
irritability
careless injuries, including broken bones
lack of engagement in anything enjoyable
inability to think
not completing any responsibilities (eg bills, work, etc.)
not completing activities of daily living
going mute
drinking excessively
verbally snapping at someone or insulting them
crying
seeing everything and everyone as a threat
complete shutdown or even meltdown
My most reliable solution in social situations has been going to the bathroom. There must be soooo many people that think I constantly have diarrhea because I go to the bathroom that often, sometimes for up to 30 mins a session. I love how the bathroom fan's noise drowns out everything else. If I can still hear people outside, then the bathroom break doesn't work, so I might go outside or to my car.
It's not that people are annoying or I don't like them. I just need solitary silence to process the ideas on my waitlist or allow my mind to focus on what it wants without interruption to recharge. It's almost like sleep. If I don't get it, I fall apart.