When the Social Olympics Are Just Too Much

thriveonthrough
May 19
2 min read

Updated: 18 hours ago

Let’s talk about the Social Olympics — that exhausting daily event where you smile, nod, say the right things (in the right language), and try not to offend anyone while you're out buying groceries.

Now imagine doing it in another country, where eye contact rules are different, sarcasm doesn’t translate, and you can’t remember if the 'bises' are one cheek or two (or…three, or four?!).

Yeah. Gold medal-worthy stuff.

I remember a particular Tuesday afternoon in France. I’d already survived a plumber’s visit (entirely in French, thank you), got lightly scolded at the pharmacy for standing in the wrong line, and nodded through a painfully polite chat with a neighbor about regional cheeses.

By 4 PM, I was done. My brain? Fried. So when the doorbell rang, I froze like a spy in a bad movie and remained completely silent on my couch. The person left. I felt like both a coward and a genius.

That, my friends, was me bowing out of the Social Olympics.

When you live abroad, even the smallest interaction takes extra mental gymnastics. You’re decoding accents, body language, bureaucracy — all while trying to avoid accidentally insulting someone’s grandmother with your awkward grammar.

But here’s the thing: needing a break from it doesn’t make you antisocial. It makes you human.

So if you’ve ever:

- Hidden from a knock at the door

- Dodged a phone call in a new language

- Pretended not to see someone in the supermarket…

You’re not failing. You’re pacing yourself.

What Every Expat Learns Eventually:

You don’t have to attend every event in the Social Olympics.

You’re allowed to bow out.

Rest is not weakness — it’s strategy.

So do your warm-up stretches, grab snacks from your home country, and remember: thriving abroad isn’t about getting a perfect score. It’s about showing up when you can — and knowing it’s okay to sit a few rounds out.

Even champions need time to rest.

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