Confessions of an introvert
Confession #1: I am not an introvert.
Ok, well, more accurately I鈥檇 consider myself an ambivert who is more in tune with her introverted side than she is with her extroverted one. I don鈥檛 mind being around people but boy, do I love me some 'Me Time'.
Confession #2: I DO NOT think I鈥檓 better than you. Quite the opposite, really. People are quick to surmise introverts as 鈥渟tuck up鈥 because we don鈥檛 always approach others first or initiate the conversation but trust me, 50% of the time it鈥檚 because we're irrationally nervous to talk to you and the other 50% is because it鈥檚 late and our social battery is on 1%.听
On my better days, I鈥檒l gladly start a conversation with the lady sitting next to me on the bus, raving on about how glorious or terrible the weather is but sometimes, I don鈥檛 feel very chatty and wish to live inside my head instead.听
Not to mention, how daunting it can feel to start a conversation with someone, especially if it's within a group setting.
Confession #3: I love human connection. Also another thing I realise people deduce of introverts is that we absolutely hate people and only ever want to be alone. That鈥檚 not true! I love my friends and I love making new ones but sometimes socialising can be a little tiring for me.听
I notice that my social battery lasts far less than that of my extroverted mates (I鈥檓 so jealous of y鈥檃ll). It鈥檚 like, I鈥檒l have fun in the first three hours of hanging out and then by the fourth hour, talking suddenly feels draining and I just want to go home.听
It鈥檚 nothing personal towards the people I鈥檓 hanging out with (like I said, I love human connection). I just need some time to recharge before I get back out there to have fun with you!
Confession #4: I have a soft spot for those who listen. As an introvert, I don鈥檛 always like to be the focus of the conversation, nor do I make it a point to constantly be heard. In fact, I鈥檝e always enjoyed being the interviewer than the interviewee, but it is nice to have someone ask you things once in a while in the conversation and listen to what you have to say.
If you鈥檙e an introvert like me, you probably know how harrowing it is to be in a conversation with a group of extroverts. But I see you extroverted folks who hold space for your introverted friends and listen to them when they talk. You have no idea how comforting that is!
听
I hope my list of confessions clear the air up a little bit for us introverts and introverted ambiverts out there. Do you feel that these are true?