I am an extreme introvert, and would love to shout from the rooftops "There is nothing wrong with introversion!"
Introversion does NOT mean a person is shy, socially awkward, maladjusted, antisocial, a social reject or have any other negative connotation. Introversion means a person gets their energy - revitalizes themselves - from spending time alone. It is as normal as being an extrovert, but as extroversion is the more dominant trait it is often viewed as being 'abnormal'. It is not!
My daughter is an extreme introvert like me. She has just returned from a school camp, and another parent (a friend of mine) who attended the camp was very worried about her while there. He (an extrovert) hadn't realised how much time she spent alone, and during the camp tried unsuccsessfully to support her to join in with others many times. (She joined in with all the activities, but in her free time isolated herself and played alone.) He said most often she politely but very assertively rejected everyone's attempts to get her to socialize. He was really worried about her throughout the camp, and txted me frequently to say he was trying to help her have a good time but wasn't succeeding.
When my dd came home from camp she was BURSTING with excitement to tell me about the amazing time she had at camp! She had SO. MUCH. FUN! Over the next few days she shared about the adventures she had had with her friends. I surreptitiously questioned her about her social experiences there and balancing her alone time and group time, wondering if she was just 'putting up a front' to hide what a horrible time she had had. And I found out that she wasn't. She really had a great time.
What my friend didn't realize was that my daughter was getting everything she needed. Like me she NEEDS alone time as much as she needs air to breathe. Both of us need hours of it, every day. She had fun with all the activites, played games with her cabin mates at night time, and in between times - all those unscheduled moments when kids tend to hang out in groups to chat, play, or whatever - my daughter took time out to nurture her soul by finding somewhere to shut out everything else and just 'be' with her own self. She was doing exactly what she wanted and needed to do for her own happiness and well being, and as a result, she had an awesome time.
I am so glad that, like me, she embraces her introversion. Sure, our introversion is extreme and others see us as rather insulated and a little odd at times, but it is a part of who we are. We NEED a lot of alone time to recharge our batteries and prepare to interact with the world again. We just need to take more time out than most others. No biggie.
Last edited by Luce; Sep 12, 2012 at 01:42 PM.
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