I'm sure you have come across someone who is an introvert in your life. Whether that be a friend, a roommate, a family member, or it could be yourself. As an introvert myself, I have found many difficulties. As I was scrolling through Tumblr the other day, I found a post that I REALLY liked. It was a post on problems that introverts face. I decided to write an article on these issues and really elaborate on them so that extroverts can get a better understanding of how we live and react in certain situations.
1. LOUD NOISES MAKE YOU ANXIOUS
I think this is my biggest problem as an introvert. I mean, yeah, I go to concerts and stuff, and I really enjoy doing so. But it's not an everyday thing. I have to mentally prepare myself for concerts. People don't understand that loud talking, loud music, or talking to yourself is very worrisome for an introvert. We tend to stray away from drama too. Loud noises give us ANXIETY. (I plan to write an article on anxiety in the near future to further explain this). A personal experience is when I attend music class. The loud music that is foreign to me REALLY gets my nerves going. I know it's a part of what I have to do, but opera music especially gets to me. Also, when I'm in my dorm, and I hear screaming in the hallway, I cringe. Fire alarms, sporting events... they all contribute to an introvert's anxiety. That also contributes to our lack of social skills.
2. The moment in a social setting where you just want to leave, simply because you've been around people too long
Yes. We are people-phobic. Not to say that we don't attend social situations... we just... feel uncomfortable sometimes in social occurrences. Introverts like "me time" a lot. Again, lots of people can make us anxious. Which brings me to my next point:
3. When you really want to attend a social situation, but don't want to be the first one to leave... again
Introverts aren't necessarily antisocial. We like to get out and have fun just like the rest of the people in the world. But this goes back to the previous point of being "people-phobic". We also get claustrophobic in social situations. I know that I love going to parties on campus and stuff like that, but I just burn out so quickly. I am always the first to leave! My roommate tells me, "C'mon, stay! It's fun! We've only been here an hour." Well, roomie, that hour is enough for me. :) We can only tolerate so much socializing.
4. When your friends won't leave you alone because they think you're "upset"
Okay. 80% of the time, I'm not upset. I'm just in my "bubble". My bubble is my "me time". I'm not mad at you. I'm just not feeling social. If I don't engage in the conversation, it's probably because I'm trying to absorb it all. Or it could just be that I have nothing to say. That doesn't mean I'm mad. I'm not an angry person.
5. People label us as "judgmental"
Again, when we don't engage in social situations or conversations, THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE JUDGING YOU. We just don't know what to say sometimes. We are not good at participating in conversation. That's why we don't. We don't want to say the wrong things. That's why a lot of introverts like to write. Because we can plan out what we want to say... and we have a backspace key. Life, however, has no backspace key!
A lot of this connects with having anxiety. My next article will probably be based on that. I just want people to have a clear understanding on introverts. No, we're not mean, we're not judgmental, and we're not always upset. We just keep to ourselves and enjoy being alone deep in thought.
