"But you talk soo much!"

"You're like, so outgoing though?"

"No way you're an introvert! I've never seen you shy away from a conversation!"

"Just not possible, you're great at public speaking!"

These few lines and many more bother the small minority of introverted extroverts like none other. A large majority of society does not believe in an "introverted extrovert," and when you tell people you identify as an IE, they laugh and shake their head because "it's just not possible." But alas, my dear introverted extrovert friends, I am here to share my story and let you know that you're not alone!

Around the time I began speaking, my parents relayed to me in my older age that I spoke to everyone. And they meant everyone. I'd walk up to strangers in the grocery store and confidently tell them "My dog has pancreatitis!" I'd like to imagine that most of the adults had no idea what I was talking about but just nodded their heads and laughed uneasily because a four year old just pronounced a word they couldn't. That became the norm for me, and still is. I often joke about the fact that I could make friends with a wall, really, I am that outgoing. But by the time I turned seventeen I found myself avoiding human contact like the plague. I needed copious amounts of personal time to sit in bed and contemplate the world and it's splendor. I needed this time to unwind, detox from social interactions, listen to music and generally just realign my soul. I found myself spiraling downward into some sort of dark and mysterious paradox because extroverts don't act like this, right?

After a long night of turning down calls and texts to go out with friends, I set out to do some research and discovered the amazing and enlightening term "introverted extrovert." I sat behind my computer and practically bounced out of my seat as I scanned through article after article explaining why some extroverts tend to have a few introverted characteristics. It all made sense.

With this renewed sense of purpose I stepped back out into life fully aware of my personality and what I need to do to accommodate myself properly. I learned that just because I'd talk to a shoe, doesn't mean I need to feel forced into constant social situations because truth be told, those take a lot of energy.

So for all my introverted extroverts homies out there, unite! But probably from the comfort of our own beds behind our computers because, you know...human interaction is such a laborious task.