Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. It’s Wednesday, and it’s time for another post in the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews. If you want to join in the challenge, you can find the topics for 2024 here, and if you’d like to read other people’s responses to this week’s topic, you can do so here.
Introvert Vs. Extrovert – Which One Are You?
First of all, let’s talk about what the words introvert and extrovert mean:
Introvert:
An introvert is a person who is reserved and introspective; they tend to prefer small social groups rather than larger gatherings such as parties. Introverts also tend to recharge from spending time in their own company.
Extrovert:
An extrovert is the opposite of an introvert: they are more outgoing, unreserved (or at least less so than introverts) and prefer to be in larger social groups. Extroverts tend to gain energy and recharge through social interactions with other people.
Where Do I Fall?
I am definitely an introvert. I am wholeheartedly okay with admitting that I am not a people person. What I mean is I like people just fine; I merely don’t want to have to be around them or speak to them in person for any length of time, and sometimes, I don’t even like to speak to them on the phone.
I am very much someone who loves my own company, and I am a person who adores persistent quiet. I can get lost in the silence of my living room and spend hours happily writing or reading.
I have often tried over the years to be more outgoing; I used to think mixing with people other than my husband and nephew would somehow improve my life – that I was missing something that would have a profound and detrimental effect on my life and my world. However, I now realise that being a homebody and enjoying one’s own company is no bad thing. It’s just a quirk of my personality, just the same way some of you, I presume, will have inclinations towards the opposite.
I have come to accept that part of myself and, in doing so, realised that by forcing myself to be more outgoing, I would be making myself anxious, distressed and uncomfortable. Why would I want to do that?
Well, 16 weeks and counting. I’m looking forward to reading all of your posts this week.
As always, thanks for spending your time with me today.
Until next time,
George
© 2024 GLT
Categories: life, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge
GEORGE L THOMAS 
I figured this would be your answer. 🙂
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🤣 Lydia.
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I imagine most bookish people would identify more toward introversion.
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Yeah, I think that’s probably true. 🙂🙂 📚
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The question is whether any book bloggers identify as extroverts 🙂 Book reviewing is definitely part of the introvert skill set.
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This has been an interesting subject to consider for me. I grew up thinking of myself as an introvert, mainly because I had social trouble and didn’t connect well with other kids, and also because I really did enjoy solo pursuits like reading and crafts and writing. But then in my 20s I went through a period where I was absolutely an extrovert in that I went out almost every night, got restless at home and felt like I needed to be around an ever-revolving cast of people to get what I needed at that time. I still had down time alone, but a lot less of it, and I didn’t crave it the same way I did before.
Then as I got older and my life changed, so did I. When I had a kid and went through more physical and mental health issues, I disconnected from socializing. Then COVID hit and everyone else was thrust into the same situation I’d been living in. I lost any interest in people because I learned how little most care about my health or life, and that made me jaded. Also having a kid takes a lot of emotional energy and being in a family instead of living alone is very different. Now I don’t have any interest in going to group activities or meeting new people. I genuinely just want to be alone to work on my garden and read books and write and read and crochet.
And another wrinkle is that I’ve recently discovered I’m neurodiverse. I have ADHD with a lot of autistic traits (or possible AuDHD), which means there are kind of two sides of my brain that are completely opposite and need opposite things. The autistic side craves familiarity, routine, time alone, the ability to lose myself in special interests and not too much stimulus. The ADHD side of me wants adventure, fun, excitement, new experiences and people. So I feel like because of that I am either both or neither. Because depending which side of my brain is pushing my behaviour at any given time, I can be quite different in how I behave.
Basically I find this to be a very difficult question that makes me question my very being. I am a little uncomfortable right now, if I’m being honest! So I think it’s interesting to see the difference between people who are introverted, extroverted AND neurodiverse!
Lots to go away and think about, as usual!
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Thank you! And yes, that’s interesting about a person being neurodiverse as well!
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I was talking to a few college age girls who were lamenting their aging (!!). I said at the time that my 30’s and 40’s were much better than when I was younger because I felt much more comfortable with myself and didn’t need external validation the way I had when I was younger. The response was, “So you have given up” – 🤦 But what you describe – realizing that you don’t need to fit your round self into the square hole of social expectations (the extroversion better idea) is right up that alley of (emotional) maturity.
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