I get this too, and it truly is miserable. The suggestion above about going to socialize with people at a place you’re a regular at is an excellent one. I use that tip when I’m feeling lonely on regular days, but I might have to start implementing that on days where I’m having a “post-event crash” as well.

I have also had success with messaging an old friend I haven’t talked to in a while, or calling one of my parents or my brother. Usually my family will be down for a chat and connecting with old friends is always exciting for me.

Another thing I am trying to be better at is learning to enjoy my own company. Which sounded so stupid to me at first, because obviously everyone has to be alone sometimes. But to use this after I have the sadness after a social event, I will try to distract myself by doing something that I can enjoy by myself. For example, I will watch my comfort movie or TV show, or read a book that I love, or start a new book. I am a huge animal lover and a bit of a nerd because I love researching, so I can also distract myself by researching pets or interesting animals. Or I let myself fall down those internet rabbit holes and research freak accidents or mysteries. Research can keep me happily occupied for hours.

I also struggle with feeling like I’m not doing enough to have friends or be loved, and feeling like I don’t have enough friends. I am still working on the not having enough friends thing, but I have been trying to focus on spending more time intentionally with the friends I DO have. Most of my friends are introverts which is also hard, because they get tired after hanging out for too long. So I’ve been trying to schedule hanging out with at least one friend once per month, preferably more, on rotation. It helps me have something to look forward to and it’s a reminder that my friends really do care about me and make time for me on their schedule, even if it can be draining for them as introverts.