I'm an introvert and I'm not ashamed to admit it.
Sometimes I feel like we introverts get a bum rap. Somehow, although over a 1/3 of our population is made up of introverts, we often feel like there's something wrong with us. Many people don't understand introversion and feel hurt when I try to explain how I'm made. Perhaps this is why I'm still figuring out how to be "social" and yet tend to my "anti-social" needs, also.
Now, I admit, I have not always handled my needs in socially acceptable ways. Like the time I locked myself in my dorm room and REFUSED to answer the door or the telephone when I knew my friends were calling me/ stopping by to go to dinner together. (which we did every night) They were probably a little worried about me, but I desperately needed to isolate myself and recharge my batteries. In hind sight, I probably should have poked my head out the door, explained what I was feeling and that I needed a few hours alone, and then re-locked the door.
Learning how to meet my needs in acceptable ways has been a process. It still is a process. Thankfully, I have a very introverted daughter who is my barometer for my own needs as well. I have learned to push through the inner screaming for quiet, still, life-giving space and this is not always good for me. She, however, hasn't. And when she gets whinny and clingy and testy, I realize that it's time to take a break. For her sake and mine!
So every once in awhile (like every 10 days or so depending on our schedule), I call a pj day. Or really, my daughter begs for a pj day and I say okay.
Pj days are essential to our survival. Pj's don't actually give me energy. lol. But the non-verbals assumed in the phrase "pj day" do. If we're wearing pj's all day, my daughter (and I) knows that means we aren't leaving the house. We aren't expecting company. We aren't going to be interacting with anyone outside of our family unless we choose to. We can let our guards down and allow energy to flow back in. Pj days are "safe days." They are one way I have figured out to meet our needs. Breaks from activity during the day give a little bit of energy, but sometimes we just need a WHOLE day to re-energize.
Today is a Pj day. I think I'm going to go turn off the radio and soak in the silence while the girls nap. I'll be a much better mommy if I do.
Introverts, how do you meet your needs in an extroverted world without offending others?