You don’t need anyone’s approval to leave a situation that feels wrong.
STILLNESS
STILLNESS
You are allowed to go before you can explain why. The urge to have a reason ready, one that would hold up if somebody challenged it, is what keeps people sitting in rooms they already wanted out of. Discomfort is not a case you have to argue. It is enough on its own to get you moving toward the door.
Work out the exit ahead of time: who you would text, how you would get home, what you would say if anyone asks. A mapped exit is much easier to use. And if you leave with no explanation at all, that is fine, and words can come later.
Where did you stay too long waiting for permission to go?
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.