Many people weigh heavy on one of two sides of the personality spectrum; we, however, fall smack dab in the middle of the madness. So, what are we? Merriam-Webster would define us as people having characteristics of both extrovert and introvert; in other words, we are ambiverts. As ambiverts, our complex personalities are misunderstood by most. It often frustrates us to the core that we are neither mainly introverted nor mainly extroverted; we are neither one nor the other. The reality of it is, we don’t always know how to make people understand who we are. Here is a list of things we as ambiverts want and even need the people in our lives to know.
1. Social gatherings are always hit-or-miss situations.
We either thrive during these interactions or we make ourselves invisible; there is rarely anything in-between. We are capable of being some of the loudest people at the event or blending into the crowd.
2. There are times when you won't be able to shut us up.
We can be just as chatty as your everyday extrovert and even a little obnoxious.
3. We have moments where we just don't feel like talking and they come out of nowhere.
But do not take them personally because most of the time there is absolutely nothing wrong. and we just need to keep to ourselves for a little while.
4. Our willingness to interact with human life is very touch-and-go.
Some days, we want to stay busy and make plans with anyone and everyone we haven't seen in a while; other days, we are completely content with staying in bed. Our happiness derives from doing both extroverted and introverted activities, but we have to want to do them.
5. If you are not around us often, or you don't know us well, you may think we are shy.
Yes, sometimes we are quiet. But if you think that's all there is to us, you are very wrong.
6. We are actually very quirky people.
Only certain people may see this side of us, but having a roller coaster of a personality has its way of making us unique.
7. The things that make us nervous don't necessarily make sense.
We're the kinds of people who could happily explain something in immense detail to a room full of people but don't have the guts to ask the waiter for a straw.
8. We live inside our heads at all times, even when we act unreserved.
Even when we are completely letting loose, we analyze everything. We have a difficult time shutting our brains off and we are always over-thinking.
9. We will always struggle with asserting ourselves.
Sometimes we lack forcefulness and clarity when it comes to just saying what we wish to say.
10. Being outgoing in front of new people is more difficult when around people we already know.
If you are someone we are close with, and you notice that we are not being ourselves around your friends we've just met, it's simply because you are there. We become self-conscious when you see us interact with new people, especially if you know them well. This is where our over-thinking comes into play at full speed, as we distance ourselves from conversations and try too hard not to embarrass ourselves or you.
At times, we love attention. Other times, we dread having the spotlight put on us. Being an ambivert means we feel differently in varying situations, and no one is ever truly prepared when it comes to how we will react to something. We wish you could all understand us, but unless you are one of our best friends, knowing us is a process.
