Introvert, Care thereof

[nlbarber]

This article on Caring for your introvert is a great short reference for lots of things I've learned about myself. Posted for future reference, and for any of you extroverts who've done the "Are you sick? What's the matter?" routine to one of us introverts who was just minding their own business. <g>

Comments

[ann-mcn.livejournal.com]

Magnificent! My whole family requires large amounts of alone time, and it takes new spouses and partners a while to learn that. No we're not angry, we just want to be alone.

The lovely thing about online friendships is that you can pace yourself.

[windtear.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, is it ever! Not that my parents got the hint when I sent it to them - they're both extroverts and they still don't really get that I just need to be alone for a portion of the day.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah. Bigtime. Sigh.

(and I'm sorry for the lack of complete sentences [wry g]

Although I disagree wholeheartedly with him about getting up in front of a large group of people. I think I'll link to this, too, thanks.

[nlbarber]

I can manage speaking to large groups (OK, 50-100 is about as big as I've needed to address, and you'll never see anyone calling my presentation style "dynamite"), though it took a while to get there. Just don't make me interact with all those people the rest of the day and into the night, without expecting me to snap at some point.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Anything much more than half a dozen people (of any age -- I did the occasional storytime, and that's just as bad) in the audience and I just go into deer-in-the-headlights mode, and start talkingsofastyoucan'tunderstandwhatI'msaying. Then I spend the next two days (yes, days) coming off the adrenaline jag. I do a lot of dreading ahead of time, but afterwards is actually worse than beforehand.

It takes a heck of an emergency to get me up in front of people as a result.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Yes, I thought of that too, but I realised quite recently that my tendency to stage fright is kind of independent of my introversion.

Also I get mild social anxiety, and find it difficult to get out and meet new people. Again, I don't think that's entirely related to being introverted (although it certainly is somewhat).

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Huh. I've always assumed my stage fright was part of my introversion. Yours apparently isn't, but I still think mine is.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Good article, although I take exception to the notion that the introverted are "oppressed". Misunderstood too often, most certainly.

Thanks for the pointer!

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

It's a lot like being lefthanded (which I also am), IMHO. It's just that the world is set up for righties and extroverts, and it takes a lot of extra energy and willpower to swim upstream against it. Righties and extroverts don't understand this. It's not that it's deliberate or anything, just that they don't understand what it's like and tend to vastly underestimate the issues involved.

[filkferengi]

What if you're both? Fun as it is to see folks once a month a so for ASFS or housefilks, most of the time, I really enjoy chilling out at home.