Struggles of Being an Introvert
All my life, I’ve been told I’m quiet. I’ve heard it from strangers, work colleagues and close friends. Most of the time, I don’t worry about it since it’s simply who I am. And I can find myself filling up with regret when I have had a moment of talking a lot. As if I’ve shared too much of myself or realize how much attention I’ve had on me or taken up too much space in a room.
There have also been times where I’ve wished I would have fought against my natural silence and said something. But I’m not always great with speaking and it can feel like the moment rushes by, and it’s then too late for me to express myself. I also often want to really consider what it is I want to say and how to say it.
I’m used to seeing expectation on my friends’ faces after they’ve shared something with me. Only to then watch it turn into disappointment as I’m met with very unexciting silence instead of sharing a story. Or the surprised faces they make when they find something out about me because I didn’t tell them straight away. I’m happy to talk about things in an objective way. But when it becomes too personal, my mind seems to draw the line as I’m naturally quite guarded with what I share about myself. Perhaps it’d be fun to be the one with all the stories, but I’m more comfortable with things this way. I won’t share things to please others. That’s simply something they have to accept.
There are times when I genuinely wish I could get words out though, but they simply don’t come out. This happens to me in particular during conflicts and risks of confrontation. I’m not a person who ever raises my voice, but my sister (aka my best friend and previous flat mate of several years) for example, needs to let it all out in a loud, shouting battle to get rid of the tension and bad energy. However, that doesn’t work so well with me. I would go quiet, shut down and/or leave the room when we got into arguments. And she’d sit on the couch ready to explode without anyone to release it on.
I just didn’t want to fight with her, because in my mind, that spread more bad energy. I wanted to protect us and give us time to collect our thoughts to be able to have a rational, honest conversation about it at a later time. No yelling needed, just peacefully explaining our point of views.
Once, however, when we were both speaking past the lumps in our throats after a period of not getting along so well, I was able to explain that I care so much about her and our relationship that I couldn’t admit to myself that we weren’t getting along. We did everything together, she was my best friend. But we struggled through everyday life, and I wouldn’t get into a big blow up fight with her.
And then she told me, with a trembling voice, that when I shut down like that, it made her feel like I didn’t care. At all. Like our issues weren’t important enough for me to even dwell on so why was she making a fuss about things?
Her words blew my mind and broke my heart simultaneously. I had unknowingly hurt the person closest to me, by just wanting to protect our relationship. It was a hard pill to swallow and something for me to be more aware of. In hindsight, I realize my way wasn’t the greatest way to deal with things, and I know now that not everyone will interpret my silence the same way I do.
Fast forward a year or two and we were traveling for over 24 hours straight, and towards the end of the trip, she sighed and said: “You are the quietest person on earth”. She almost laughed at her own statement.
Almost.
According to her, she would initiate all the conversations and I would only reply with a few words or an “hmm”.
Really? I thought back to see if it was true. If it was, why did I do that? What did that say about me? How did it make her feel? Was she upset about it? Or had it gone past that to the point of mere annoyance? Should I apologize or explain myself? But what was the explanation? Should I just start talking about something instead? What should I say then? I don’t want to say something just for the sake of it now that she’s pointed it out! Or would that show her I’m trying to improve? Or am I in a bad mood and that’s why I’m not talking? No, I’m fine. Tired? Well, it has been a long trip. But no, I feel quite normal. Content even. The flights have been good, I’ve been getting enough sleep and the movies I watched-
“See!” she exclaimed, springing me from my thoughts. “Even now you don’t have anything to say about what I just told you!”
Oh.
Oh, okay. I see now.
So what did I do then? I said “hmm” and we ended up laughing about it and then she spent the rest of the trip home talking to the guy next to her. She got a new friend and I got some time to… well, think. Ponder. Get lost in my own world. (Seriously, sometimes I don’t even know where my mind goes, time has just flown by all of a sudden). For someone who can get as restless as her, I understand it doesn’t exactly improve the situation having a quiet travel mate. Whereas for me, I needed to process everything that was going on in my surroundings, because there’s so much of it when you travel.
Other times, I feel upset with myself for all the potentially missed opportunities of events, people, and jobs. I don’t want to miss out, but sometimes my silence holds me back in a way I can’t control in the heat of the moment. I try not to think about all the what if’s, but they occasionally do arise in the back of my head, making me wonder how different things could have been. But I guess everyone has those thoughts, right?
All in all, I’m fine with being quiet. I like taking the back seat to observe. Just by doing that, I feel like I’m a part of a conversation. If someone’s complaining I never share things with them (this is usually people I’m not that close with), it doesn’t really affect me. I’m not going to do it just to please others. I try to be careful not to be too quiet though, in order to not be rude or hurtful or miss out on opportunities I would like to go for. Once I’ve thought them through, of course.
Have you ever experienced a time when you struggled with your silence or introversion? Share below!
Edited by Viveca Shearin
Growing up, my mother would always tell me to ” be yourself”, thinking that my being quiet meant that there was something wrong or that I was unhappy. I always wanted to tell her that I WAS being myself, and that when I felt awkward was when I was trying to be out going or noisy. But of course……. I didn’t.
Well, maybe I’m not typically silent girl and like too talk a lot, but only when I feel like it with persons I’m close enough. But also, hate small talks, going to the discos and generally – people, who can’t stop talking for even 5 minutes, so I’m that frustrated I don’t want to spend time with them anymore, so I think I’m introvert too and personally, I like it that way 😉
One day I’m reading a fascinating series or listen classical music, and during that writing my own book, another – I go somewhere with my friend and still have fun, so I don’t understand how discos could be the best way to spend your free time. No, for me isn’t and to somebody, who says, I would go on that I’ll tell just ,,no” and I don’t even regret that I ,,don’t have fun” or that I’m ,,anti-social”. So? I’m just selective with choosing friends I can rely on and don’t want to have meetings with all extroverts in the world.
If you’re asking about the silence problem, I’ll share my experience with that. So, when I was in primary school, always have been told, that I should stop being this shy and socialize with someone. Okay, I got it and talked with people, but because I didn’t liked my class I started to make friends with younger kids and it was great idea. My ,,problem” is that I don’t like to talk, just to do it, no matter what I share and with. I like to have real conversation about what I like, last film I watched or book I read, about my feelings, but honestly, I don’t care what my classmates did on the disco, how much and what drunk, no. Gossiping is NOT my hobby. I do that only, when I’m very angry on someone, who cheated on me or have done something wrong and I need help.
Next school started even not bad, I was full of dreams and hopes, but because of one girl, I started to screaming, have violently behaviour and other kind of things. So, when I went to middle school, I tried to not stand out, to be just normal and do, what I had to do. Now I see it was big mistake. I closed up myself, and don’t wanted somebody to come in, in my heart of very frustrated introvert, that beat was needed to to heard and heart to hug. So what happened? Well, I had enough of staying quiet and it had nothing to do with lack of being polite. Again no. I said to myself, that nobody can decide about me, but me, and nobody can judge me by my being quiet posture. Meanwhile I met my best friend, who gave me feeling that I can fight for what I want, say what is important to me and she told me very important thing: I can be myself, making a lot of mistakes and still be loved. I thing for me that’s it. I’ve learned my introversion isn’t something wrong, it’s my power to change the world, starting from myself and to be good for others. Thanks for attention, have a nice day ❤
Worthful writing.
I can relate with the majority, and back then I didn’t now such thing as intro-extrovert existed. But basically it is important to learn about the differences in other’s character, introvert or extrovert and respect each other and be supportive and comprehensive towards others and not expect people to be like you or how you want them to be.
Have I had periods where I have struggled with my introversion?
Hmmmm
Yes
I am lit bit confused sometimes its feel like introvert but after time change slowly everything change. Introvert time and feeling is alone and beautiful