I've always considered myself more introverted than extroverted; I always preferred being one on one with a friend than a large group. I always loved nights in watching movies. But, a lot of times I'd read about introvert stereotypes and I'd wonder: am I really an introvert?

According to the internet, an introvert finds a night spent curled up in a book more appealing than a night partying or socializing. But whenever I'd hear that stereotype, I always thought to myself: "that isn't me."

I'd wonder, could it be possible that an introverted person, like myself, could find a party equally, and most of the time more appealing than a night in?

I knew for a fact I wasn't an extrovert because of every personality test telling me so, and knowing myself well enough to not label myself as one. So, if I don't identify 100% with the introvert stereotype nor the extrovert stereotype, then which one am I?

And that's when I realized that being an extroverted introvert is a real thing. That maybe I along with others shouldn't have to label myself an extrovert or an introvert, that perhaps there can be a balance- that's it's not black and white.

Hopefully, you're reading this because you want to know for yourself if you are an extroverted introvert. Or perhaps you want to understand what's it like to be one. Either way, here is the reality of living as an extroverted introvert.

1. You love doing things, but only with people you enjoy being around

A day or night out sounds like a fun time for you! But, if you're not with a really close friend or someone you can tolerate, you won't have a fun time. It really depends on who you're with- because you know that the other option is staying in, which never really sounds too bad for you. Sometimes you don't want to waste your time and energy on people you aren't yourself around. So you'll enjoy going out but only with certain conditions.

2. You hate small talk

Small talk is definitely exhausting for you. You enjoy one on one conversations a lot, because you like getting to know people more. You value good conversation and when all someone can contribute is the weather, you don't want to waste your breath.

3. You like being a part of a group, but you're usually the quiet one

You like being around people, but sometimes being in a large group can make you feel small. Since you're really only super outgoing around someone who knows you very well, being in a group can be hard because most of the time you can only get a single word in. But, sometimes you enjoy it because you love to listen to other people and what they have to say.

4. You love people watching

You love to people watch because you find strangers and their potential stories fascinating. Sometimes it's enough stimulation for you not to socialize with anyone, as long as you're around people. You love studying alone in a coffee shop or looking out car windows, simply observing. You also enjoy the comfort of knowing that there are so many people around you that you just don't know yet and that excites you.

5. You're outgoing when you want to be

You don't really consider yourself shy, but you don't really consider yourself outgoing. You're not really scared of starting a conversation, but you're usually not the one to initiate. Oftentimes, you will be the loud friend but only around people you are really comfortable with. You don't show everyone who you are and you remain reserved in a way. But you show the people you trust all of you and how outgoing you really are.

6. You're a leader and a follower

Because you are a balance of extroverted and introverted, you kind of adapt your personality according to your environment. If you're with more introverted people, you will be a leader; if you're with more extroverted people, you'll be a follower. Also when you're the leader, you embrace it, and when you're the follower you embrace it as well.

7. You have a love/hate relationship with attention

Sometimes you're jealous of the outgoing, outspoken people in the world who are always the center of attention because you hate feeling invisible or left out. But when people give you attention, sometimes you just want to crawl in a corner and be invisible just for a second again.

8. You don't really have a solid group of friends

Since you prefer one on one time most of the time and you can hang out with an introvert or an extrovert and have just as much fun with both, you tend to have friends who aren't always friends with each other. You really value your friendships and you'd find it exhaustingly difficult to get to know someone individually if you're always with them in a group setting.

9. You don't always initiate

A lot of the time, you don't like going out of your way to do something social, so simple things like eating a meal alone seems a lot easier than making the plan to do it with someone else. So sometimes you wait for the more extroverted person to initiate. This is most true in situations when you first meet someone. Often, even if you like them, you won't make the first move until you know for sure they're worth your time.

10. You sometimes go out of your way to please others

A lot of the time you experience fomo (fear of missing out) and so you might feel pressured to go out a lot of the time even when you were planning on spending a night in. You might just go out not because you're in the mood but because your friends really want you to. And, because you love being with your closest friends, you'll go anyway.

11. You can come off as "being in your own head" a lot of the time

A lot of the time you are very introspective, so often you appear to be uninterested in conversations or overthinking. Usually, when you appear to be sidetracked, you are. You're calculated yet you're outgoing, you place boundaries for yourself, but sometimes you have very few. You don't want to come off as being too outspoken because that's not who you are, but you don't want to seem too disinterested either. You constantly over think how you act because often times your personality shifts based on the environment you are in. So when you appear to be in your own little world, you usually are.

12. You love being alone but you often feel lonely

Doing things by yourself is relaxing- running errands, driving alone blasting your own music, binge-watching Netflix. Even if you love doing simple things alone, sometimes you can get really lonely. If you haven't had much social interaction in a day you will get very lonely, and it will take a toll on you. You're constantly striving for that perfect balance of being alone and socializing.

13. Socializing can be exhausting and stimulating

Oftentimes, after every social event you attend, you always feel differently. You're either in the mood to talk to strangers or you're not. And since you're never always 100% down to socialize, each social event is different to you. There are a lot of conditions that come into play, like how big the event is, how many people you know are there, how long it is, whether or not you have good conversation. Often, every conversation you have can give you different emotions. Sometimes you can leave a social event feeling energized like a typical extrovert, but you can also feel exhausted, like a typical introvert. There's never really a "typical" feeling for you.

14. You avoid awkward social situations while always trying to suppress your inner introvert

Sometimes you'll say no to social events to avoid the awkwardness you know you'll feel after having too much small talk with too many strangers. But sometimes you'll try really hard to suppress your introverted side, and you'll step out of your comfort zone and try a little harder to open up to strangers and be more open-minded.

15. You love a good balance

Overall, you love a good balance. You're never black and white on extroversion-introversion scale, and you truly embrace it. Yes it can be very confusing sometimes when you have to decide whether or not you're in the mood to be social and vice versa. However, you understand that that's who you are and there are many perks to achieving the perfect balance.