It's a well-known fact that extroverts are the people who are always on the go, jumping from one friend group to the next and always having their social calendar filled. That's me. On the other hand, introverts are generalized as wanting to keep to themselves, and have a limited amount of time that they can handle being around others. That's also me. Turns out it's possible to be both extroverted and introverted, a term defined as being an ambivert.
Life as an ambivert is hard, man. Trying to establish a balance between being social and having time for yourself takes a lot of work. Some days I just want to be surrounded by friends, or even strangers, just to feel the presence of other people. Other days consist of me just wanting to sit in a quiet place and read a book, praying that I don't run into anyone I know. Sometimes people's feelings may end up getting hurt because you say you don't want to hang out with them - not because you don't want to, but just because you don't have the mental capacity to do so.
The whole concept is strange to me. Constantly trying to figure out what your mood is every day, while also trying to maintain a friend group who understands that sometimes you want to hang out, and sometimes you just don't. The best solution to this problem? Establish a balance. Don't spend too much time alone, but also don't overwork yourself by draining your social battery before you can dedicate alone time to recharge it.
It can be challenging to figure out what your limit is of how much you can socialize before you go crazy, but once you do, stick with it. It can be slightly embarrassing to tell people that you don't want to go out with them or make up an excuse as to why you don't want to go to a party. But trust me, if you push yourself past your socializing limit, you won't even be able to enjoy the people you're with or whatever it is that you're doing because you'll just be focused on wanting to curl up in your quiet room and watch Netflix.
I've lost friends due to the fact that they were always on the move and continually wanted to go out while I didn't, and frankly, it sucks. You may not be able to control your personality, but you can choose who you're friends with. It can be difficult explaining to people that you have a limit on how much you want to be around them, but once you find friends who understand you, keep them around for as long as possible. You may come across as being weird, but hey, that's what makes you unique.
