I’m not a freak I’m an Introvert

Image via

One chilly Monday morning, two introverts stood in line at the coffee stand outside Giles Church in the heart of London’s West End. I was letting off some steam to my collegue Eugine* as we waited for our morning cuppa joe… 

Me: I don’t know man… it’s hard living with family because they wanna do ‘family stuff’ all the time you know? They keep cooking me dinner and texting to find out where I am. I just want to be alone sometimes, know what I mean.

Before Eugine could reply there was a Brrrrrrrrrrrr sound. It was my phone.

Me: Ahhh. See what I mean?  It’s not even 9am yet and they are asking to find out whether I’ve got to work on time! 

Eugine and I shuffled to the front of the queue still engrossed in the conversation when all of a sudden the bearded Danish Coffee Man interjected…

Coffee Man: Sorry for butting in your conversation but I am going through exactly the same thing with my housemate at the moment. 

Eugine: Why what happened man? 

5 minutes later… The queue was now winding outside the church gates.

Coffee Man: …I mean he won’t stop calling man. I have to put my phone on silent! He’ll be ringing to ask why I’m not home yet and I’ll be in the next room. He’ll call me at five and ask when I’ll be home for dinner. Sometimes [he then began squeezing my paper coffee cup] I JUST WANT TIME FOR ME YOU KNOW?

Eugine: Are you an only child by any chance? [To Coffee Man.]

Coffee Man: Yes. Are you? [Coffee man said turning to me.] 

Me: Yahuh!

Eugine: See. It’s an only child thing! When I was a kid people used to ask me if I was lonely?? I mean WTF? No, I wasn’t lonely. I just had more fucking time to spend on myself. 

Coffee Man: Yeah right. I was cashing in on some quality ‘me time’. 

The conversation had taken a new turn and as we left, I suddenly began thinking about my own persistent need to have a lil ‘me time’? 

I mean am I cray for wanting to be on my own sometimes?

The thing is, quite often I ENJOY being on my own. Not all the time, obviously, but I like shopping on my own, going to the gym on my own. I genuinely have fun in my own company. Hell I even laugh on my own. What are you? Some kinda freak? I hear you ask. Probably. Am I socially inept? To be honest, sometimes I am. That’s just how I roll.

All I do know is, having time to myself, time to reflect, to think, to work actually energizes me. While being with people ALL THE TIME drains me. Don’t get me wrong I like being with people too but generally I get energy from being alone.

So many peeps think the introvert/extravert tendancies are down to confidence but Micheal Hyatt asserts it’s more down to where you get your energy from. Many of my friends are extroverts and that’s totally cool – they get their energy from people. But that’s just not me.

The other day I was really feeling drained, I was even feeling a lil mad and angsty. I really couldn’t stand to spend anymore time with people. So I decided to escape to Holland Park for some time out. No computer. No emails. Nothing but my book. It was DIVINE. I just kind of floated about and looked at flowers, like a character from a Stephen King novel and rolled around in the sun like a happy cocker-spaniel. As I lay in the grass surrounded by loads of other solo people I thought about my conversation with Eugine and Coffee Man. I realized the city is full of freakaziods who like their space.  I’m not a weird or socially in-ept [well I am a bit]. But mainly, I’m just an introvert. 

Image via

So I guess what I’m trying to say, whether you are an introvert or extrovert – all that really matters is if you know yourself. I came back from the park – fresh and revitalized and I was ready to take on what came ahead.

So where do you get your energy from? Are you more of a people person or get a boost from ridin’ solo?

Have a great week peeps!

x

Tags: life lessons London society Stress

Categories: Adventureland Mirror Mirror: Self Improvement