I think for me, getting the quiet time I need is the biggest way I avoid being rude. As you say, it's like getting enough sleep. Over-drawing my sociability account now just means I'm risking being rude to somebody else later, so if I really want to respect people, I need to carefully control the amount of social time I spend and try to pick things that are less draining.
But for when I'm peopled out, I definitely have some tricks:
* Go to the bathroom and spend a couple of minutes in peace.
* Say "Hey, it's noisy/hot/chaotic in here; want to get some fresh air?"
* At work, I like doing walking meetings, which are less socially intense for me.
* Have socially acceptable reasons for leaving early. E.g., running regularly in the mornings means I can say, "Oh, gotta get up early to train for my race!"
* Minimizing other things that draw down my sociability, like noisy work environments.
* Get people talking to one another. E.g., "You mentioned X. Let me grab Jane, who's very interested in X too!"
I've also had some luck going to events with introvert buddies. If you both go get some quiet together, it doesn't look like you're being antisocial.
But for when I'm peopled out, I definitely have some tricks:
* Go to the bathroom and spend a couple of minutes in peace.
* Say "Hey, it's noisy/hot/chaotic in here; want to get some fresh air?"
* At work, I like doing walking meetings, which are less socially intense for me.
* Have socially acceptable reasons for leaving early. E.g., running regularly in the mornings means I can say, "Oh, gotta get up early to train for my race!"
* Minimizing other things that draw down my sociability, like noisy work environments.
* Get people talking to one another. E.g., "You mentioned X. Let me grab Jane, who's very interested in X too!"
I've also had some luck going to events with introvert buddies. If you both go get some quiet together, it doesn't look like you're being antisocial.