Quote Originally Posted by Zola View Post
This is the sort of social/group setting I really don't like. In a way it feels like being included in a way that makes you feel excluded if you don't like that sort of setting. It gets loud, which is tiring in and of itself and also makes it difficult to have any sort of conversation because you can't always hear what the other person is saying. It also makes me feel like I can only have shallow conversations because I don't feel comfortable talking about things I actually care about in front of a bunch of people (even if they're all people I could talk to individually). Mostly I just end up listening to the people next to me or looking out a window.


Quote Originally Posted by Zola View Post
A couple of years ago they rearranged the furniture in the lunchroom at work and instead of three smaller tables there was now one large table. The sound level went up (and it was already loud before) and there was just no way of actually relaxing during your break. After a while they added a few armchairs with small tables in the corners and I started using those instead. They also allowed me to put my feet up which was nice considering we were walking or standing most of the workday and if anyone asked why I didn't sit at the main table I could just use "resting my feet" as an excuse. People got used to it pretty quickly and soon a few others started using those chairs as well. Despite still being in the same room it was much easier to relax a little bit when not trapped in the middle of all the noise but off to the side a bit, feeling at least a little bit more secluded. My lunchbreaks were much better after that though I still wished people wouldn't be quite as loud (but I do understand some people get energy from that sort of thing instead of being drained by it like I am) and if the morning had been especially stressful I'd even sometimes eat in a different room just to have some silence and because people were already used to me sitting off by myself a bit no one gave me any grief about it when it happened.
Sounds like something I would do.