Introversion, gotta love it!

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Yesterday I was in conversation with a number of introverts online and we can’t get enough of the discovery that we are not alone. We just feel that way! You see, we are wired to get tired when we have been in social situations too long. Our nerves begin to fray and we want to find the nearest exit but often there isn’t one.

My son helped me a great deal with this, giving me two books on introversion. He was giving me permission to be myself. And since he is introverted as well, we lead a quiet life. He takes his bike out for a ride on the trail almost every day, taking in the natural world without people messing it up.

And I spend almost all my day writing online, being in silence and watching TV in the evenings. It may seem a dull life to many, but I am happiest when my introversion is honored. School days are when introverts have the toughest times and again in many work situations. Idle chatter is a necessity and we introverts simply don’t like that.

Being on the spiritual path is also one of the things that introverts love. Coming to know ourselves is what we were made for. Studying the great laws of the universe connects us to a much larger dynamic than water cooler chat, doesn’t it?

Of course, other factors are involved. I was the oldest child, so had a great sense of seriousness about everything. I wanted to be perfect for my parents and so I swallowed a good deal of my emotions. That led to a life of anxiety and panic attacks as I got older. It is just these last few years that I have come into my own. If you ask me what that means, I can only say that idleness is a very good thing to experience. My hands are not the devil’s workshop but the hands of an apprentice in the temple, given over to writing as I am led to write. Trusting source to guide me as to what to say. And so, dear fellow introverts, you are not alone. You are in good company. Dare to be yourself. As some wag said, “Everyone else is taken.”

Vicki Woodyard

5 Comments

  1. Introverts, UNITE! Vicki, isn’t it absolute bliss to finally identify our need to have solitude, quiet time and time to rest? (I slept until 10:30 this morning and didn’t feel the least bit guilty. My body needed rest and I honored that.) I, too, am the oldest child and now, in my sixties, am reveling in the opportunities to withdraw and not feel guilty about it, only being with people who are positive and nurturing. Your beautiful writing is one of the gifts that comes from your being an introvert and there are so many gifts and blessings! We introverts need to form a club, but then we would have to all stay home and talk online…ha!

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    1. Yes, it IS bliss. My bed always feels best after a good night’s sleep. I usually eat a bite and then go back to bed and just revel in being able to do what I like when I like. I am so happy my writing rings a bell with you, Tibby. Introverts grow up feeling a lot of guilt around what is perceived as their non-social personalities. They don’t know we are overflowing with internal energy that refuses to indulge in idle chatter.

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  2. I am so happy to find I’m not an alien from another planet. I am the oldest of five and always had to be a Big Girl, causing me to be very brave, even when I wasn’t. I had a stomach ache all my life, migraines and panic attacks. Finally, divorced, on my own, bought a little house deep in the woods on 8 acres. I get up between 5 and 6, fill birdfeeders, and then come inside to glance out the kitchen window as I feed my rescue cat Velcro and make my coffee. The birds and raccoons are so happy to find the seed and shelled corn. The bird songs are especially sweet in the mornings and a little softer and subdued in the evening. I get to be quiet and alone almost all the time, every day. Having to run errands is good, too. I see the people who recognize me and we chat a little. But whenever I leave, I look forward to coming up my long driveway, back to my sanctuary. This is my life. I never imagined I could be content. When my marriage was coming apart and I was terrified, I prayed to have just enough to be comfortable and if it wasn’t too much to ask I would also like to have some land so that I could keep some trees and animals safe from the destruction of man. My life could seem boring and too solitary and quiet for some, but this is good. Thank you, Vicki.

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    1. Bob and I were both oldest children. He had stomach aches all during his youth. I had panic attacks beginning at age 13 that caused me to retreat from any kind of social life at all. All I have to say is that our educational system has no idea how to deal with introverted children. School was hell. I made straight A’s and felt ill every day at school. Back in the day, our parents were self-medicating with pills and liquor and we had to lie about that. I feel I parented my mother. These days, like you, I revel in my freedom to be totally introverted.

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    2. Lynda, I loved reading your comment to Vicki. I just had to share that after my divorce, I moved into my grandmother’s cottage on 3 acres of land. Living there with dogs, cats, raccoons and possum was heaven. I loved hearing about your sanctuary in the woods. Isn’t it wonderful? I’m now remarried to a fellow introvert and 6 rescued cats on 3 acres in the mountains. The high point of our week is watching to see which animals come to the outdoor feeders. Life is good. So happy that you found your place in the woods and beautiful sanctuary. Those don’t understand don’t need to come visit!

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