Introversion

my favorite chair in the house

Sometimes, it feels good just to curl up in a big comfy chair with a cup of tea and a good book. Whenever your heart is a little broken, or your eyes are a little tired, this remedy always seems to heal you, at least a little bit. It's often just a matter of relaxing - taking a step back from everyone and everything, and taking some time alone. 

Ever since I was young, my mom would make tea for me whenever I felt a little down. Band-aids were the go-to for physical injuries, but tea was the cure for emotional hurts. She would make some Lipton black tea, with lots of milk and sugar, and bring it to me on a little saucer while I cried and cried. She did it twelve years ago when my best friend told me that she didn't want to play with me that day, and she did it last month when I felt more alone than I ever have before. And honestly, it works just the same.

perhaps why Pooh was always my favorite cartoon

Almost all of my problems seem better once I am home, sitting comfortably in my bed or on my living room chair. I am, by nature, an introvert. I enjoy my alone time a great deal, and being with others is often draining for me. One of the qualities of introverts is that "after being with people for any length of time, such as at a party, they need time alone to 'recharge'" (source). If this applies to you, congratulations, you're also an introvert! 

Now, a common misconception about introverts is that they are shy. An introvert may be shy, but the true definition of an introvert is someone who is "energized by being alone and whose energy is drained by being around other people." My father and one of my sisters are like this, just like me, while my mother and my other two sisters are extroverts, through and through. I often puzzle over how, during school vacation, my sister can go from one friend sleeping over to a different friend coming over for the day and then another friend sleeping over that night and so on! I asked her, "Don't you ever get tired of people?" And she replied, "Nope."

This little myth-busting article about introverts was very interesting, especially that "if there is too much talking or noise going on, [introverts] shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine." Dopamine is supposed to make you happy - it is the neurotransmitter released when you fall in love. So while extroverts may be having the time of their lives, causing lots of dopamine to be released, introverts will begin to withdraw after a certain level of dopamine is released.

So if you're an introvert reading this, don't worry - there are plenty of us out there (anywhere from 16-50% of the population), so never think that you're weird or that you should be able to do marathon sleepovers like my sister. It's perfectly okay to be an introvert, as long as it doesn't get in the way of all social activities. Make sure you say yes to things every once in a while - God will often surprise you with amazing memories!