You live in a busy city and spend the week days always on the go, balancing work, hobbies, a social life; a handful of things that require ample amounts of energy. Regardless of how outgoing and social you may be when it comes to these interactions, sometimes having those hours, evenings, days to yourself can really enhance your mood and behavior.
Before you begin forming the definition of an introvert vs an extrovert, keep in mind the qualities of both of these reside in many of us. What this means is that even the most social of people like to have alone time sometimes. I turn this to my own experiences in life. I am one that can be extremely social on many occasions and known to carry consistent conversation. Other times I choose to shut off from social interactions and spend time just indulging into myself and doing the things I want to do. Would my consistent smile and happiness when around others consider me an extrovert? Or does my habit of not returning texts or answering calls to just escape outside stereotype me as an introvert? I will tell you now, I'm a bit of both.
I have always been one to love public speaking and performing in front of others in things like sports and later bikini competitions. I never really had difficulty or nerves when it came to being in the publics eye. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. It seemed easy to strike conversation with others and to just lessen the tension in situations via communication. I enjoyed classes that challenged me to have to speak up to get what I wanted. I was certainly known as a social butterfly. But on the other hand, some days I would not want to do anything and would just sort of hang on my own by myself. Now I don't mean I didn't want to do anything but lay around; but I didn't want to really interact with others or be on my phone texting all day. I wanted to get out and do the things I wanted to do without distractions. This was more of a way to recharge my energy from expending it to others which I also enjoyed doing.
With this somewhat routine cycle, I would almost feel as if I needed excuses not to hang with someone as opposed to just saying I want to be by myself. I fell into a bad habit of making plans then deciding I wanted that day to be a me day and cancelling in an untimely fashion. I knew this was hurtful but for some reason I would struggle with just saying no in the first place. Time and time again I would ignore the little voice in my head telling me to use my communicative skills I knew I was good with to just admit that I didn't want to do something. I soon realized I needed to break away from this pattern and begin being more upfront with people.
This shouldn't bring a feeling of guilt or isolation because just like technology and things that need power to function, our batteries need recharged too. A lot of times this comes from doing activities or hobbies that you enjoy. I for one enjoy binge watching television shows, reading, going for a walk or something else to just spend a little time on me. These things allow me to just sort of process through a lot of things that maybe took place that day or week or whatever.
I should probably take some time to clarify that yes, there are some introverts that are very shy and would prefer the alone time over social interaction no matter what. This does not give room for people to stereotype and judge how someone chooses to use their time. It just means that we each get our energy from different things. Find what recharges your batteries and be sure to incorporate it into your routine as much as you may need. Your happiness is your choice. Choose to make the change to be happy.
If you are unsure of how to really begin the process of tapping into your subconscious mind, please do not hesitate to reach out. I have been on my own journey for some time now and the things I have learned from others and the help I got along the way has inspired me even more. I love to teach about self-love, gaining confidence, and most importantly, gaining control of your subconscious mind. Emails are welcome!
