I don’t know about you, but growing up, everyone loved the loud kids. The ones who would say what they want and what they mean. I was never one of those kids. I was much too Minnesotan nice to ever run the risk of being rude. I remember in school when learning about the difference between introvert and extrovert, I boldly claimed that I was an extrovert. They seemed so much more fun and I wanted to be fun. Despite my family laughing at me when I told them my new discovery, I stuck to it for many years. I denied the fact that I was any bit introverted for fear of it becoming true.
College did something wonderful for me. It helped me realize who I really was, unashamed. I used to feel like a dork when in high school I had no desire to go to a party or hang out with people all the time. I had a couple very close friends that I spent time with and I was happy. In college, I embraced being an introvert with my real friends understanding and loving who I am. They get it when I just want to hang out and watch Netflix the whole weekend and they also get it when I tell them I just need to be alone.
College is a pressure-filled time because everyone is going out all the time, but no one is admitting that they don’t always enjoy going out. It takes guts and self-confidence to take the risk of denying an invitation and running the risk of looking boring. Now, don’t get me wrong. It is healthy to go out sometimes and force yourself to new experiences out of your comfort zone every once in a while. However, to understand why an introvert might not want to go out, you need to understand what an introvert is.
Introverts have a lot of stereotypes such as: being emo, never talking, being a pushover, or never wanting to go out. Even though these can be right, most of the time it isn’t accurate. The most important thing to know about introverts is that instead of getting energized by being with people, they reenergize by being alone and doing their own thing. Like a battery, we just need charging every now and then. After “recharging”, we are ready to go hang out with people.
If you are an introvert, don’t ever feel bad about needing your alone time. It is perfectly normal and healthy. Do what you need to do to be happy.