Being an introvert in an extroverted world is not easy. Life is full of loud, personal situations that tend to make an introverts skin crawl. Some examples may be meeting a stranger, going into an unfamiliar place, being in crowds and generally anything that is not what we are used to. Often times, people assume we introverts must be rude or unsociable for not being as enthusiastic as extroverts are in public. Yet this notion is not fair because being an introvert simply means you do things differently than what our extroverted society expects. Furthermore, we do it for good reason.
When we say no to going out for more than one night in a row, it does not mean we do not want to hang out with you. Instead, it means that all of our sociable energy has been spent and we need to recharge ourselves before we have the need to go out again. We just want to have some nights to ourselves and spend a good portion of our time relaxing with some personal space. Also, it should not be assumed that introverts do not have friends. Many of us have a lot actually. Still, as much as we love our friends we just do not have the steam to hang out with them all of the time. We just are not built that way.
Yes, we can be shy. For some introverts, meeting new people and going out to crowded places can be challenging for us. We like to have a sense of familiarity and not be surprised by any unexpected intrusions or situations. Introverts prefer things planned out, simple, and often within their range of social skills and energy.
No, we are not rude for preferring our alone time and being shy. It is not bad on our part for having conversations cut short with the cashier or being uncomfortable around company and new people. Sometimes we just want to be left alone. We need time to ourselves to reflect, recharge, and value ourselves as people. We want simplicity and we want to plan our social schedule ahead of time in order to prepare ourselves for success. There is nothing wrong with that. That is just how we operate.
So if you happen to know an introvert please respect their wishes. We always try to stay out of the way and not be in everyone's business; so please do not push anything on us. Also, remember that we do enjoy fun, but just in our limits. Most of us do not want to go until three in the morning and sometimes we just need to spend the day with ourselves. There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. Honestly, we are just the other side of the social spectrum that keeps everything in balance along with the extroverts and the folks in between. We may do things differently but for us, our ways are the only ways. Just like how other folks have their own ways of living so do we. And you know, that is just fine. We would not want it any other way.
