I'm much more comfortable one-on-one, compared to groups. I'm 52 and have had anxiety problems in groups since childhood. In groups I become overstimulated which eventually exhausts me. I was diagnosed BP I with mixed episodes in 1982 and one symptom of mine is a general feeling of irritability and wanting to be left alone a good bit of the time. I try to stay away from some folks at times because I'm concerned I'll snap at them. During those times I feel as if rays of venom are coming from my eyes and overall energy. Prickly is a good way to describe it, it seems like my nerve endings get supercharged and I can feel extra energy flowing in me. Even meeting just one person is too much at those times. I have an intense startle reaction and hypervigilance.
Being alone is no problem for me. It can be relaxing and finding things to do are easy. My mind is usually flying from thing to thing, and an intense curiosity about many things helps.
One way all this was handled years ago was to just stay zombified on Thorazine, Stelazine, Lithium and such. Living in a fogged up sort of semi-trance existence. I'd rather have some high and low tides, peaks and valleys, with many varied shades, compared to a dull, numb, grey kind of life though. I suspect my wife might prefer grey and dull sometimes