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Game nights are supposed to be fun, but for one woman, it set the stage for an intense internal debate.

One woman has a friend with a standing board game night every couple of weeks, usually running well past midnight with the whole group sticking around for the full evening.

But this time, the woman’s long week at work left her running on empty before the night even began.

The plan forming in her head was simple: show up, play the first game, then head home to rest, telling everyone ahead of time so nobody’s left waiting.

But knowing her friend is very sensitive about attendance, she worries about the guilt trip that might follow her early exit.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTA if I left the board game night at Sarah’s house after only an hour because I was tired

I have a standing board game night with a few friends every couple of weeks at Sarah’s place.

This coming Friday everyone is expecting me to stay until at least midnight like usual, but I already know I’ll be wiped out from a long week at work.

She begins plotting how to break it to her friends that she’s leaving early.

I’m thinking about just showing up for the first game and then heading home once it wraps up so I can get some rest.

I would tell the group ahead of time so nobody waits on me for the next round.

She worries her friends may think less of her for putting herself first.

Sarah put a lot of effort into planning the night and buying snacks, and she gets pretty disappointed when attendance is low.

She says the whole point is that everyone sticks around so the energy stays high for the whole evening.

If I leave early she might feel like I’m bailing on the group, even though I’m trying to be honest about my limits.

She continues to agonize over the decision.

I keep going back and forth on whether it is better to keep my word and stay the whole time or to protect my own energy and leave after the first round.

I don’t want to make it awkward, but I also don’t want to push myself past what feels okay.

It’s hard to put yourself first when you’re constantly putting other people’s feelings first.

What did Reddit have to say?

This user gives some thoughtful suggestions on how to navigate this.

Perhaps it would be better to just sit the whole thing out.

Sometimes you have to put yourself first.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a friend who is upset they missed out on cheap festival passes due to her pal’s indecision.

This commenter shares what they would do.

Showing up at all after such an exhausting week is its own labor of love, but given Sarah’s past history, it’s unlikely she would see it this way.

Both sides deserve some empathy here. Sarah puts in a lot of effort for these game nights, but at the same time, life gets hard sometimes, and you can’t expect anyone to bring the same energy week after week.

At the end of the day, this woman needs to recognize that her limits are valid.

Caring about people is a good thing, but it can’t come at the expense of your own mental health.