Ah, introverts, the toughest nut to crack in terms of friendship. We have high standards for the people we let in on our thought process, and even higher ones for the select few people we fully open up to. We don't like huge parties, and we often prefer staying in our rooms to socializing for long periods of time. If you want to make friends with us, it's not going to be a done and done process.

Sometimes we need a break to recharge.

It's not personal. It's not you. We're just tired, that's all. Social interaction is exhausting for us, and sometimes, we need to take a break before we can actually talk. We take our relationships very seriously, and we're not going to be able to provide you with the attention you deserve from us if we're tired. Let us go huddle in our separate rooms and breathe for a second, and we'll come back eventually feeling ready to commit to the conversation.

Please no small talk.

Filler conversations that don't have an actual purpose take up meaningful socializing energy that we already started out with less of. We're on one of those sand timers, and at a certain point, we're going to run out. Introverts think really deeply about things and analyze everything, so why would you want to talk to us about the weather, when we have so much more to say? You're going to have to make our conversation mean something, or we're not only going to get bored, we're just going to be plain old exhausted.

Listen to us, don't just talk over our words.

Extroverts have a lot to say, and it's really amazing. However, sometimes, they have a little too much, and it overpowers the introvert. Like I said, introverts spend a lot of time thinking about the world around them, and we tend to plan out our words carefully before we speak. If we're talking, we probably worried a lot about the topic and spent ages figuring out the exact right wording. Please let us have the say we deserve. We'll respect you so much more for it. Not to mention, it'll show us that you value our thoughts, and not just our ability to listen to you.

Interact with us one on one.

Groups kind of scare introverts. They're very overwhelming, and there's too much going on for us to respond on time. Often, we'll just completely fade away in order to keep ourselves sane. If you want to get to know an introvert, try talking to us one on one! We do enjoy talking, and we love making friends, just not in atmospheres where friendship becomes something that is both surface and overly loud. We want to get to know you, and we want you to get to know us. We're much more likely to open up if we don't feel like we're talking to a crowd, but to a single, caring, genuine person.

Introverts may be quiet and reserved, but our friendship means a lot. If we open up, you'll realize that we're incredibly funny and sweet, and even loud sometimes. We just need to establish a level of trust first. It may take some time and effort, but you can make friends with us if you're patient. Trust in the process and give us space. We'll get there eventually, just not right away.