I recently found a post on Buzzfeed that perfectly describes the life of an introvert with funny graphs. These graphs are definitely “way too real” for me, but they also reminded me about how much I have been trying to be a better friend and person lately.
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| Anna Borges / BuzzFeed |
Being introverted means I need my own time to think and create and be alone. It also means that when I am in social situations for a prolonged period of time, I get moody and anxious to go home. It’s not always because I don’t like who I am with. Actually, most of the time I do like who I am with because I have tried to surround myself with people I trust whole-heartedly. The thing is that when I am ready to go home, I am ready to go home. I get tired of dealing with other people.
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| Anna Borges / BuzzFeed |
The horrible part is that I am twenty-two and only now realizing that I need to just openly say, “I am tired and need alone time.” Instead of becoming annoyed and bitter, I have to acknowledge that I need to get away but remain patient with those around me. I’m sure learning to say, “I’m tired” will take time and practice, but as I’ve become a little more outgoing, I’ve caught myself telling my friends and family, “I’m sorry. I’m just tired.”
My sister is an extrovert, and when something happens in her life, the first thing she wants to do is talk it out with someone else. I, however, do not want that at all. I want space. I want space after working all day. I want space when I’m sad. My first reaction to outside stimuli is to hide away. She gets so upset with me if I come home from work late and respond coldly to her persistent conversation. In the past, I would break down and yell at her to leave me alone. She could not understand why I was in a bad mood, and it was literally because she was talking to me when I didn’t want to be talked to.
That’s hard to explain to other people, especially extroverts! So I’m trying. Trying real hard. It’s humbling to acknowledge the hurt that misunderstanding can cause.
