I am an introvert, not an extrovert. It’s not-self proclaimed, it’s who I am. People who know me well would agree to it. I realized a long time ago, that there is nothing wrong with being either one.
An Introvert Really Isn’t Anti-Social
The first thing I want to clear up, is that fallacy that those of us who are introverts, don’t like to be around people. Fact is we do, just not all the time. We greatly appreciate others, but love our space even more so. There are many times that I crave to be around humans, if not for conversation, just for normalization. After all, I have been around my husband for the better part of my life.
That being said, I love our home, because it is designed to allow each of us space from the other, if so needed. My husband is a bit of both introvert and extrovert. We both feel it’s a good thing to be able to have a private area. We’re not fans of open floor plans, if you can tell. There is nothing wrong with being alone, to think, or just to relax and do nothing.
We Don’t Need Other’s Around to Feel Whole
I like to observe people’s behavior, especially in groups. Most of the extroverts I know, crave attention. They need to be at the center of it. I am just the opposite. Let me stay in the background, That is where I am the most comfortable. Maybe it was my birth order. I was the youngest, and the age difference between me and my brothers was 9 and 10 years. So growing up, it was a lot of just me, playing with my toys, and not having to many children in my neighborhood at that time.
This carried over into middle and high school. I had a select few close friends. Cliques were not my thing. I preferred to do what I wanted, when I wanted. Introverts like to keep control of their world. My choices were my own, with no influences from the outside. I’ve always felt fine with being who I was. I never needed other people to confirm my worth. Maybe that’s why I start to stress now when I can see I’m starting to lose control of a particular situation. Introverts do tend to shut themselves down, when that occurs.
Extroverts and How I Deal with Them
Extroverts love to be around people. They also love to talk. I have my moments, but when meeting new people, I sit back for a bit. It takes me a while to warm up to those who I’m meeting for the first time. Introverts are not necessarily shy. I would call myself reserved. Some have taken that for being stuck up. Those are the people who don’t know me, or don’t care to try to know me. We warm up slowly. In some of those situations, I wished I was back in my space. Extroverted people need that control too. However, that control is more of others. Introverts, as stated earlier, need control of themselves.
I tolerate outgoing people. You have to in this world. I work with them, I occasionally socialize with them too. I just tend to keep my distance and if I feel they are infringing on my environment, then I just remove myself. Not always physically, just in mindset. Sometimes, that’s the only way to keep your sanity.
Embrace Your Introversion or Extroverted Soul
People have judged others forever. I will not change who I am. I like myself, therefore spending time with just myself is not even an issue. It may be for others, but as with many other things, that is their problem. Aside from my family, I don’t need to be around others for to long to feel good about who I am.
I don’t need outside attention or influences to decide how I should behave. Spending time with yourself if you’re an introvert, or with others if you’re an extrovert, is a personal choice. Both kinds of people are happy, can be successful, and give to the world. https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/23-amazingly-successful-introverts-throughout-history.html