8 Believable Excuses To Get Out Of Awkward Plans With Friends

We’ve all spent over a year staying indoors, so making plans with friends should be our priority, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for most people who are still dealing with social anxiety.

Canceling plans with friends, especially after an entire year apart, can make you feel like a horrible person. However, choosing to opt-out of plans may be the best possible self-care option for you at the time.

Meeting people can take a lot of energy, making it challenging when you aren’t feeling your best. As a result, we’ve collated ten believable excuses to get out of plans with friends without feeling too bad.

Tired

Many people can relate to the feeling of exhaustion and not being able to do anything as a result. Just tell your friends that you are tired, and if they are understanding enough, they will let you “rest” until next time.

Appropriately Apologetic

Read the room when it comes to excusing yourself from plans, as your tone matters for how others take it. Don’t over-apologize for casual plans, and do not be dismissive of an important event. Choose the appropriate apology.

Deadline

If you aren’t specific about this one, it may not have to be a false excuse. Explain that you are working on a deadline to get away from plans and get back to your Sex And The City marathon that must end on Sunday.

Money

Although this may put a magnifying glass on your poor spending habits, tell your friends you are broke. Nobody will question this excuse in the middle of a global pandemic that’s put us in an economic crisis.

Self Reflect

Although canceling plans can be a form of self-care, you are inconveniencing someone else in the process. Be self-reflective after excusing yourself, and note where you could’ve done better to avoid the cancellation.

Caught Up

Working extra hours has been a common occurrence since things went virtual for most people last year. If you tell your friend that you are caught up with work, they will take this as a viable excuse, even on a Saturday.

Bad Place

Are you in the middle of a series where the main character is going through an extremely rough patch? Use them as an excuse by letting your friends know that a loved one is in a bad place; just don’t say who.

Adjust The Plans

Honesty is the excuse that I’d rather opt for because it also opens up possibilities to adjust the plans. For example, if you aren’t up for crowds, cancel the dinner date and ask your friend to come over for takeout instead.