Photo Credit: mitra mirshahidi via Compfight
On my 21st birthday, a few years ago, I had a dinner party at a restaurant with a little over 20 people. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the surprise presents, but even though the next day was Sunday, I didn’t go to church, I spent it recuperating (and no I hadn’t gotten drunk or anything like that)…
On my 23rd birthday, I had a simple house party with a little over 20 people. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed seeing so many random people, but I spent most of the time sitting on the stairs outside, and trying to get away from the crowd that I had persistently invited to my party…
On my most recent birthday, I spent it wit my brother and sister-in-law, my niece and nephew, and then I went home and read a book…it was AMAZING!!!
At first I thought maybe it was because I was getting older, and more contemplative…or maybe I was becoming antisocial…
Until it dawned on me that I’m an introvert, and introverts find the most pleasure when being alone and doing quiet things. The problem is that I feel the pressure to be the life of the party when I go out, and I enjoy being that person, but it takes a lot of energy…see because introverts are often highly sensitive to other people’s feelings we feel the pressure of making sure everyone is included and everyone is having a good time, to the extent that we often overcome our own desires to be alone for the benefit of others.
My 21st birthday party (small by other people’s standards) was huge to me, and it was only that huge because I had been to someone else’s party and felt like that was what I was supposed to have. This person was cool and vivacious and everyone loved her, so if I wanted to be cool and vivacious and loved by everyone, this was whom I had to become, and my pseudo-extroversion kicked into high gear…
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still that fun-loving, life of the party girl, but only once in a while. And I’m still that girl who can organize a large birthday party, and have fun, but again, only once in a while…
I’m finally learning that I don’t have to be like everyone else…and that it’s okay to be extroverted sometimes, as long as I give myself enough time to also be introverted…and what some people call anti-social, is what I (and many other world rulers) call BLISS. And that…after all is why I take the stairs.
How about you? Would you consider yourself an introvert?
Does being an introvert mean you have to be lonely? Click here to find out.