Introverts, I know the holidays were a tough time. You were forced to sit and answer endless questions about why you didn’t have a partner to bring to Christmas dinner when all you wanted to do was binge watch the newest season of Fuller House on Netflix. While some people think after Christmas they’ve made it through the tough holidays and reached the fun holiday, introverts know this just isn’t true.

New Year’s Eve is the last daunting social event between you and a long stretch of no social holidays. Your extroverted counterparts have been finalizing their plans for weeks while you try to slide under the radar, hoping no one notices you plan on ordering sushi, falling asleep early and maybe waking up to watch the ball drop around midnight. Of course, your friends aren’t going to let that fly, so you’ve reluctantly agreed to come along on their New Year’s Eve adventure. I know what you’re going through because I am one of you, but we can make it through the last big social event in 2016 by doing just a few simple things.

The first step to an introvert surviving New Year’s Eve is to make sure you have your calendar cleared for “me time” until as late as possible. If your friend suggests meeting at noon to get ready, say no. If you agree to this, we all know you’re going to be burnt out and ready to go home by 6 p.m. To successfully make it through this holiday, don’t plan to meet your friends until at least 6 p.m. This gives you all day to charge up for the draining six hours ahead.

Next step, pick out what you’re going to wear on December 30th. If you wait until the 31st, you’ll end up wasting all your recharge time trying on clothes that don’t work. That will lead to a trip to the mall and now you’re dealing with people hours before you should be if the plan is to make it until midnight. Choosing an outfit the day before helps avoid this potential disaster. It also gives you time to make sure what you wear is comfortable enough that you won’t be using the outfit as an excuse to go home by 10.

Step number three, make your own transportation plans. You may have agreed to tag along for the New Year’s Eve plans, but you didn’t agree to stay out all night. Taking care of your own transportation means the opportunity to show up a little bit late and leave as soon as it’s 2017. You didn’t promise to stay out all night so take the excitement of the ball drop to say a quick good-bye and slide out the door before anyone notices you’ve slipped out.

The fourth thing you should do is decide on a canned new year’s resolution. People all night will be talking about the new diet they’re going to start or the habit they’re going to drop. Coming up with a resolution ahead of time will save you from thinking on your toes and allow you to contribute to the conversation should some ask you what you’re going to work on in 2017.

Introverts, there is one more thing you need to do to survive this New Year’s Eve. Relax and have fun. I know large social events are daunting and draining, but this is a time to celebrate the past year and all you’ve accomplished. It’s also the time to celebrate what’s to come. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be with your friends as everyone talks about where they want to be in a year and what they want to accomplish. Nights like New Year’s Eve are the nights that bring people closer together as they make plans for the future.