"You should talk more." Wow! Thank you for this. I think you cured me!
Growing up, I was always shy. I never really spoke up in class and was terrified to do so if I was called on. I had my close friends all throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school, and it was enough for me. In high school, I learned just exactly what it meant to be introverted in my Psychology class. I finally understood who I was and how much I actually enjoy being by myself. I'm so grateful for that because there were so many times where I genuinely wondered if something was wrong with me. Unlike extroverts, introverts re-energize by being alone. After a long day filled with socializing during classes, work, meetings, or whatever else I had going on that day, I need to go home and just hang out with myself for a few hours. I am always like, "Girlie! I have missed you so much how was your day! Fill me in on everything!" to myself. All jokes aside, getting to unwind after a long day is exactly what I need.
Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with my friends. Sometimes, however, it can be really draining and can take a pretty excessive amount of energy to keep my mood up. I know, it can sound pretty ridiculous but my fellow 'verts will understand. (Why am I like this?) Oh embarrassing, I don't know where they got this footage of me, but it's me saying I'm busy when someone wants to hang out and I just do not have the energy for it.
I strongly dislike the stigma that comes along with being shy and/or introverted. More often than not, people think of us as "stuck up." Speaking for most of my shy pals out there, we are really nice and we want to be your friend, trust me. It just takes us a little longer to be talkative around you. No big deal! Just give us a hot sec or two to warm up.
Every person is different and their levels of extroverted-ness and introverted-ness differ. Let's just all be kind to each other and always keep in mind that we are all different human beings with different feelings and emotions. We're all doing life together!
