Friday, February 14, 2014

The War Within the Introvert

Now let's clarify one thing before I get started.

Being an introvert doesn't mean you are shy or anti-social. It means you need/enjoy alone time to re-charge to be able to be your BEST self in public and social settings. Most of my life, people have fought me and tried to tell me, "You aren't an introvert, you are friendly and outgoing and fun." Yes...I can have fun in a social setting, I'm not a complete recluse, but it's because I've prepped for it for several days while hiding out at home in my pajamas, sitting in silence (over dramatization here, but I'm just proving my point). So, with that said...here is a war I face as an introvert and I'd like my fellow innies to weigh in.

I could sit and be alone in silence, or with soft music playing, for days. Literally. Sometimes it's like 4:00 in the afternoon and I've realized I haven't really talked to my son much because I've enjoyed the quiet of the day. (oops). Sometimes, when Brent gets home and starts talking, I feel like he's yelling, but I realize its because I haven't been around talking pretty much all day...and I'm okay with this.

I often go days without having much social interaction. I will leave the house and go to Starbucks, to the grocery store, go for a run, or run errands...but all of those require minimal social interaction. But I find myself giving me a pat on the back because, well, at least I got out of the house. (and got dressed).

However, with this minimal people time, I often get lost inside my own mind. I will dwell on things much too long or think myself into circles some days. As much as I love having Pandora playing all day and being able to 'recharge' in the quiet everyday, I have to admit that all this 'recharging' could be the reason I'm also going batty. So where's the line?

I find solace in quiet time to myself, but am also left too long with too loud of thoughts to stew over...where do YOU find a balance? Are any of you other innies with me on this? It's a bit of a pickle.