For those of us who enjoy being around people constantly, it’s beyond difficult to spend an hour, let alone an entire day, completely alone. As I’m sitting here writing this article, I actually have an entire day to myself and it’s painful, to say the least.
1. We receive our energy from other people.
Long periods of time spent alone are actually what is draining. Even a short interaction with someone can be a “fix” for an extrovert. The more people, the better, in my opinion.
2. We can handle periods of silence, just your presence is enough.
Often times people think that we need to constantly be talking. Not true. I love those friends who understand that I love just having their company. It’s amazing how different working on homework in a coffee shop can be when someone is just there, doing the same thing as me.
3. We will almost never grow tired of you.
It’s true, I VERY rarely become tired of people. Seeing a lot of a single person can be draining for some, but not for most extroverts. We learn to appreciate people for who they are and gain something from every person we interact with. I could spend every day, all day long, for an entire week with someone and unless our personalities really clash, I won't grow tired of them.
4. We really do try our best to understand introverts.
Even though we are polar opposites, we understand that introverts need their alone time and we try to understand that it’s nothing personal. I don’t have many friends who are introverts, but the ones I do have, I try my best to remember that they’re different and that’s okay.
5. If we do need alone time, it will be short, but extremely beneficial and best not be messed with.
It doesn’t happen often, but there are times where I find myself somewhat drained from being around people. It usually only takes a short drive, or 15 minutes in my room to “reboot” myself, but those times are much needed. They are few and far between, but we do know how to appreciate alone time in small doses.
I think that extroverts are often very misunderstood, but I think that goes both ways—introverts are as well. Here's to trying to understand each other and living life respecting how we all work!
