No really, I am. Certifiably. On a studied and measured personality test (Myers Briggs Mom? Help me out.) I scored one petite little baby step over the dividing line between Introverted and Extroverted. And I scored Extroverted, but just barely, which I guess I believe because I like performing, and getting attention pretty much rocks my world.
But extend a social invitation to me of any sort, and I immediately search for a reason to instead go to my happy place, which is in front of a fireplace that I don’t have, cuddled up with a book, and Jeremy, and Hufflepuff, and my blankee, and perhaps Dr. Pepper is invited to the “party” too.
 |
| My happy place looks a lot like this + Fireplace + Oscar Wilde + Caffeine. |
I look for excuses–any!–in my brain not to come to whatever excellent social function I’ve been invited to. You could invite me to the moon,for heaven’s sake, and I would still have to think about it, debate internally, decide how long it would take me to do my hair, and then maybe still not come.
It has nothing to do with you, so don’t worry. I find that I genuinely like all my friends, and I always feel happy after a social event. But the sad fact is that I also feel proud of myself after going to a party, even though I left at 10:00 PM, because it was something of an internal tug-of-war just getting myself there in the first place.
People don’t believe that I am an introvert because I mask my introversion with extreme extroversion. I’ve been accused of being “bubbly” before, which hurt my feelings because I am also sensitive. People assume that just because I have a reasonable degree of social confidence means I’m an extrovert. But I promise I need week of recovery after a party and a full month of recuperation after a vacation, even if it’s with my dearest friends and family.
I’m in the middle of a recuperation mode right now, friends. But I do want to see you and hang out with you. Just give me a minute to look like this:
Yes.
I've almost written this exact post multiple times [minus your eloquent wording]. If you find yourself in an atypically extroverted mood and I happen to be in the same boat, we can get together and discuss our introversion.
Read this book called Quiet by Susan Cain. It will change your life!!!
Yes yes yes. yes.
Oh my gosh, this is such a relief to me to learn about you. Because I am the same, down to Meyers-Briggs results and all. This may or may not be the reason why the decide-to-be-social ball has been in our court for a month and a half after Gatsby with you guys (even though that was super fun!) and we haven't even suggested anything about doing something else since. 🙂
And then, it's even more frustrating when people don't believe you that you're an introvert, by saying, "Oh, no, that's not true, you're much too friendly and outgoing to be an introvert." And then you want to shake/punch them and say "Don't act like you KNOW me!" (Oh wait, maybe that's just me…)
On behalf of all your Rossiter ancestors and myself, I apologize for passing on my antisocial genes.
On Myers-Briggs, I USED to score a tick above the line on extroversion, but then in my late 40s, I scored a tick below the line. If I took the test now, I'd probably be two or three ticks below.
I must excuse myself now. All this social keyboarding has exhausted me.
Amen. Us socially-adept introverts need to stick together. And that Meyers Briggs test rocked my world. I vary between and INFJ and an INTJ, and I'm obsessed with knowing what other people are.
Girl, you're an ambivert!
http://kelliehardin.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-perks-of-being-introvert.html
http://kelliehardin.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-be-introvert-with-extroverts-job.html
I'm exactly the same! Except on the Meyers-Briggs I scored just a little bit more intro than extroverted. It's hard to find the happy medium between being social long enough to be satisfied and yet not long enough to be completely drained of all energy afterwards, right?