10 Reasons An Enthusiastic Personality Might Prevent You From Realizing That You Are An Introvert

Growing older and wiser of my internal workings as of recent has brought me shocking insight into my personality. I had spent so many years of my life portraying the image of a man walking with the utmost social ability and yet felt unsettled when the word extrovert was being tossed around. I had always questioned whether I really fit this classic example of an “out there in the mix” kind of guy. The more open discussion I had with these new insights the more people around me validated my findings, and then in a matter of fact way came to the conclusion that yes, I was in fact an introvert. The shyness was masked for so many years due to my outgoing personality. While this may come a shock to most people, this revelation has become a truth in my life. Maybe some of you might relate to some of these points and discover that you too are an introvert.

1. It’s not that you hate people, it’s just that you would prefer to be selective with how much time you invest in social settings.

2. It drains you to even think about keeping up with large social gatherings or celebrations.

3. For the few large functions a year that you actually attend, you usually are the centre of attention and people seemed to be drawn to your energy.

4. It’s takes you a few days to fully decompress after any large social gathering.

5. When you run into people out and about you become incredibly enthused to see them but internally wished that you crossed the street to avoid the interaction altogether.

6. Most people would label you as a charmer even though you feel that you just trying to be congenial with everyone.

7. Some people may confuse your awkwardness with arrogance after meeting you for the first time, when really you just get socially anxiety when meeting new people.

8. Your social media interaction is sporadic, most weeks you seem to have completely disengaged from all platforms and then the following week you will be blasting tweets and status updates incessantly.

9. Nobody would have ever guessed just how much you cherish those quiet days being in isolation with a book and your thoughts.

10. The idea of setting out on a vacation with a group of friends really excites you, but once you arrive you want to leave the pack and go explore the new terrain alone.

Bonus –
After years of struggling to perform and showcase your social excellence you finally make peace with the fact that you truly are an  introvert after all, and that is totally OK.