Introvert develops ingenious system to deal with shopping in busy crowds

A woman has gone viral with her strategy to deal with the “inevitable shutdown” that comes with big shopping trips.

Christie McNab, 30, is an actor living in Atlanta, Georgia, and like many people, describes herself as an introvert.

“I get burnt out quickly when I’m around large crowds or walking around big stores,” she explained to Newsweek, while her girlfriend, Gaby, is an extrovert, “and could do it for hours no problem.”

The couple have a TikTok account @christieandgaby, where they share snapshots of their lives with their large online following, and recently went viral when Gaby recorded the moment McNab planned out their shopping trip so she could have a quiet moment to herself in the best possible place.

Boasting over 4.6 million views since being shared on November 17, McNab explains she “wants to go to Costco first, because when I shut down I want to be in HomeGoods surrounded by the Christmas stuff.”

“I can’t go to HomeGoods first because then I’m going to shut down in Costco and be overstimulated,” she adds.

Gaby tells McNab she would prefer if they were able to prevent any shut down at all, but McNab replies simply: “The shutdown is inevitable.”

“But I want to control where I’m at. And I’d rather be at HomeGoods. So we have to go to Costco first.”

TikTok users were impressed, with one writing: “‘The shutdown is inevitable’ is going to be my new mantra,” and another saying it was “the realest planning.”

“That’s actually very self-aware and kind of her to think about,” another suggested, as one commenter said: “My therapist calls this coping ahead… 10/10 execution right here.”

McNab told Newsweek she “definitely didn’t expect this overwhelming reaction to the video, but it feels nice to feel seen.”

She clarified that what she means by a shutdown is not “outwardly this big thing,” but she can feel “nauseous from the overstimulation,” and “the only thing that helps me is to sit or lay down somewhere quiet to recoup.”

As she tends to go quiet when overstimulated, she worried anyone with her could feel she was upset with them, so she started speaking openly about it, and “paying attention to how my body felt and when my shutdowns would take place.”

“I found for me if I went to huge mega stores, I could do one to two, max, and then I started to feel not good,” she said, adding she now also brings snacks to give herself a “boost” if needed.

“To some people it sounds extreme and dramatic I guess, but for me I’m just doing my best to stay my best self and listen to my body so I can have energy throughout my day,” she said.

So when it came to a day with particular errands—cat food at Costco and exploring the Christmas decorations at HomeGoods—”I just tried to plan accordingly.”

“I find both stores to be overstimulating but HomeGoods has Christmas music and cute things so it felt like the better choice to end on!”

As for the massive response her video had, McNab said it made her “feel so seen that so many people feel the same way.”

“I always was kind of embarrassed about it and really only talked about it with Gaby and my mom, both people who don’t experience it,” she explained.

“So it feels really nice, and talking about mental health is so important.”

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