I’ve dated extroverts, I’ve dated ambiverts, and I’ve dated introverts. And they all bring wonderful flavors to the table. But sometimes we don’t always see eye to eye. So, from an extreme extrovert (often rated higher than 91% on personality tests for extroversion), here’s what I’d love to say to my sweet, precious little introvert pals:
1. We’re being authentic
Just because we’re loud and proud – and get louder and prouder when we’re around the people we love – doesn’t mean that we’re not the same person as we were when we were just hanging out with you one-on-one. We still want you to trust us. Our energy just spikes a whole lot when we see the faces of our friends and family. Kind of the same way that your energy spikes when you curl up with that really great book!
2. We do like being alone, too
In fact, we love being on our own… because our own company is also good company! We might have other habits when we’re alone as compared to yours, like talking to ourselves more or actually being excited getting ready for events out of the house. But let’s be honest, everyone needs to recharge after wild college parties… EVERYONE!
3. We don’t want to torture you with our presence
Seriously. We just really like you and stuff. But we’ll totally respect your boundaries and capacities around hanging out with us. I mean, we can always just do the one-on-one thing too, if that would work better for you. Just let us know. Feel free to be honest!
4. We take breaks, too
I know extroverts that hide away for entire weeks at a time to recharge. Sometimes, for an extrovert, being around people is such an exhilarating experience, that it requires a time to recharge because so much was happening in the social moments energetically. You introverts almost have a superpower with this – you know what a social experience is going to do to your energy and you know how to recover from it, but for an extrovert, it’s kind of up in the air. It seems like it depends on so many factors – were our besties at the event, did we talk to anyone outside of our social circles, how many new people did we meet, was it a business or a pleasure event?? So sure, we need to unplug as well and seriously, who knows when we’ll be ready and back at it!
5. We love you
You’re an important member of the friend group, you’re valued in the family, you matter at work! We’re ready to listen and we’re ready to share. Join us…when you’re ready!