The word introvert is tossed around a lot. If you look it up, the first definition is "a shy person." I don't go around very frequently saying that the dictionary is wrong, but an introvert doesn't need to be shy. There are very many outgoing people who, at the end of the day, just really need a break from people. Outgoing and shy people can feel completely exhausted just by spending time with other people. That's what being an introvert really means.
Of course, introverts deal with more misconceptions than that including these five things.
1. We're cranky.
Okay here's the deal: yes, we get cranky. We do not exist in a state of constant annoyance though. It's just that after a certain amount of time, we get a little sick of everyone and need a little time away. But before that point has been met, we are delightful people who like having fun!
2. If we don't want to hang out with you, it's not personal.
It is 100% not personal. The truth of the matter is, there's no nice way to say "sorry but I really just don't want to hang out with anyone right now." It's nothing against you, it's just that maybe we just spent the entire day prior with people, and we need time to recuperate. Maybe we're having a big outing the next day and need to take the time to prepare for that. We want to enjoy ourselves when we hang out with friends as much as possible, it's just that it takes a certain amount of alone time to do that beforehand. It's nothing against you.
3. We're sad.
Nope. We aren't sad when we say we don't want to be around anyone. Believe us, our alone time makes us very happy. We're doing the same things we could be doing with other people in the room (reading, crafting, watching TV, etc) but it's just better when people aren't around. There's something refreshing about a house to yourself or an empty library.
4. We're lonely.
Again, alone time is good, but being alone does not mean we're lonely. If we want to hang out with someone, we know how to ask, and we can do it. We're choosing to be alone because it's what we want in the present time. I can sit in coffee shops for hours all by myself and not feel bad because no one's with me. I have friends I could invite to go with me, but sitting alone in the present time is what I want.
And finally...
5. We hate people.
Let's say you love cheeseburgers. You love to eat them but that doesn't mean you're going to eat cheeseburgers for every meal, every single day. It's the same for introverts when it comes to people. We like people, but we just don't want to be around them all day every day.
This isn't definite for all introverts. There are introverted people who do feel sad and lonely. There are introverts who hate other people. There are introverts who love being around people and are extremely outgoing and at the end of the day just want to be alone. There are exceptions to every rule. But if someone says they're an introvert, you shouldn't automatically assume these things. It gets tiring to have to explain it all the time.
