An Introvert in an Extroverted World...Or is it Really?

I’ve always considered myself an introvert.

Being an introvert doesn’t mean you’re shy, quiet, socially awkward or unwilling to speak up. Some of us will happily talk your ear off. We just eventually reach a point where we’re done peopling and would very much like everyone to stop talking now. And being an extrovert doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the one dancing on the table at the party.

In the simplest terms, introverts tend to recharge by spending time alone, while extroverts tend to recharge through interaction with other people.

Somehow, over the years, I’ve picked up the language. Introduce yourself., make small talk, chat with the person beside you and work at filling any awkward silences. Or walk into a room where you don’t know anyone and behave as though this is a perfectly reasonable thing to have done voluntarily. 😳

I’ve become pretty fluent, although exactly how fluent seems to depend on the circumstances. Sometimes I’m practically bilingual. Other times, not so much.

But here’s the funny thing. These days, just about everyone I know tells me they’re an introvert. I honestly can’t remember the last time someone proudly announced, “I’m an extrovert!”

Where did they all go?

There must still be some out there, and thank goodness for that because someone has to actually want to start the conversation while the rest of us are still thinking about it.

Maybe introverts are the new extroverts. 

I remember when being outgoing seemed to be something we aspired to. Somewhere along the way, though, it became perfectly normal to announce that you’re an introvert.

Maybe the pandemic had something to do with it. Suddenly we were being told to stay home, avoid crowds and keep our distance from other people. It was quite a moment for introverts. And perhaps some of us discovered that noisy rooms, crowded gatherings and calendars full of plans weren’t quite the cat’s meow we’d once thought they were.

Or maybe it’s age. I know I’ve become much more willing to speak up as I’ve gotten older. The editor that once lived somewhere between my brain and my mouth seems to have packed up and left without giving notice.

But that hasn’t made me less introverted. I’m just an introvert with fewer unpublished thoughts.

So maybe the world isn’t quite as extroverted as I once thought. Maybe there are more of us quietly peopling our way through it than we realize.