In the wake of countless freshman activities to get me to open up, I've decided to let others know a few things about introverts that you may not know. First of all, there are many classifications about what differentiates an introvert from an extrovert, but the way that helps me understand it the most is where the person goes to recharge. Extroverts rejuvenate themselves by being with other people while introverts rest by being alone, which leads me to my first little bullet point...
If we've had a long day of classes, dealing with people, or even having fun with friends, we find comfort and solace in alone time. If you take away our quiet time, you take away our rest. We're like batteries. If you let us recharge, we can perform to our maximum potential the next day and love doing it too. And, just like batteries, if you don't let us recharge...we'll die.
- Just because we're alone does not mean we're lonely.
Don't feel sorry for us because we declined to go play basketball. It's not antisocial--you're just overly social. And don't invite me over to sit with you at lunch, group of strangers. If I'm alone, it's probably cause I like it that way. There's nothing wrong with being alone. In our world, alone and lonely have the same meaning, but you can be alone without being lonely. If I'm lonely, I'm going to do something about it. I don't need you to fix it for me.
Introverts are some of the most fun people I know. For instance, I'm a theatre major and still an introvert. I get enough social time, and I have loads of fun. However, this does not mean I don't need to recharge. (See battery analogy) We'll socialize if we want to.
Well...some of us may be. But you can also be a people hating extrovert. What I'm saying is that we're not hiding in our rooms because we never want to socialize, have fun, or go out. We're hiding in our rooms because you're peering under our door, trying to make sure we have friends. You are scaring us.
- We don't hate talking to people.
It's not that we dread it (all the time), but if we have something to say, we'll say it. When we're quiet, it's not cause we're scared (all the time), we just have nothing to say. Introverts tend to carefully think out their words so that we say only what we need to say. It's called efficiency. Write that down, extroverts.
- Being an introvert does not mean we don't come out of our shell.
It just means we have one. We open it around people we know. I know several people have remarked that I'm an extrovert, but they have only seen me with my best friends. With new people, we're just a little more closed off. But, do not try to crack open our shell immediately. If you think we're shy and try to get us to dance with you in public after we meet you (true story), that shell is going under lock and key around you. Being shy has to do with personality not being an intro/extrovert. You can be shy on either side. I just happen to be a slightly shy, awkward introvert who doesn't like dancing in public when I first meet you (still a true story).
These are not rules, and they may only apply to me. I only hope this may give you some sort of tolerance for those who are not like you. Maybe you can appreciate their differences or maybe this can help you realize your necessary recharge times that you've been missing. And for God's sake, don't try to make someone you just met dance with you in public.
(Very true story)...
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