Tactics For Living Well As An Introvert
November 27, 2012 § 1 Comment
Eat, drink, sleep ~ I believe this is the one best thing anyone can do to help achieve a balanced temperament. Basic needs must be met consistently in order to alleviate basic, animal anxiety and imbalance. Self-care should be consistently reprioritized as it slips from our habits. For introverts, I think feeling overwhelmed, oversensitive, excessively emotional, indecisive, anxious, and immobilized are the general responses to stress from inadequate food, water, and sleep. Eat enough wholesome foods throughout the day, safeguard your access to food when you’re busy by carrying snacks and taking breaks, drink ample water and if you like add some coffee and tea with a heap of even more water. That’s pretty much my baseline for sanity preservation.
Provide processing time ~ As an extremely social introvert, this is perhaps the most important one on the list for me. Time between inputs, like spending time with friends and lovers, experiencing art like films and books, and other extraverted activities are important for an introvert to process and store information and sort out their perceptions and opinions. I honestly think I can’t remember well without enough processing time. I feel as if I lose experiences when I overcrowd them.
Learn to be a gentle handler ~ You can’t charm a fox with a brash approach or scare a rabbit into heightened performance. If you want to get yourself to take action, gentle nudging and internal coaxing will work while pushing yourself forward, brandishing the knife towards yourself and making threats will only lead to paralysis or resistance. A lot of introverts had pressure applied to them by adults as children in order to get them to become bold and have internalized this tactic which disrespect their true nature and also tends to backfire, as it’s counterintuitive for managing introversion. Improve your gentle self-talk and reduce your inner harsh, critical voice. It may seem like a motivator but is actually an inhibitor and a block.
Practice use of body language ~ For introverts, it is often difficult to talk, and if not to talk, then to take the risk of speaking authentically. Learning to use nonverbal expression can help give approval or positive attention to people you’re interested in, help you show annoyance or anger when you’re boundaries are being overstepped, and help you show your feelings when you want to but feel shy or inarticulate. I feel like I learned a lot by interacting with dogs, who wear their feelings on their sleeve by nature.
Notice your love of other introverts ~ One of the greatest struggles practically everyone faces is self-negativity and judgment. Many introverts gravitate towards other introverts and find shared traits understandable and even likable in others they judge in themselves. Remember to compare your consideration and respect for others to how you feel about yourself and try to make them equal.
Loving Introverts
July 1, 2011 § 4 Comments
After reading Susan Cain’s article from the New Yorker on introversion, I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about the topic. I was wondering if it would fit in on this blog despite the change of pace.
I’m personally extremely introverted, but also very good at passing as highly extraverted. There is a funny gap between the perceptions people have of me who know me intimately versus those who know me in social or work situations – for the former, my introversion is a given, the latter are shocked when I mention it. Most of my love bonds are with other introverts, including Emily and Valerie and other friends who will likely begin to appear in this blog. As a group whose strengths are stigmatized, I think knowing how to love one’s self as an introvert and how to love other introverts is a skill we lack. I decided it definitely does fit in to my journey and thoughts on love.
It’s funny how simply being introverted did not teach me how to engage other introverts. I had to grow out of estrangement from my own natural temperament and learn skills of how to care for myself and my close introverted loved ones. These are some things I thought of after visiting Susan Cain’s blog that I’ve learned cultivated my bonds with other introverts that you might try in learning to care for your introverted loved ones. Not only do people who naturally tend towards extraversion often spook their introverted loved ones, but many of us introverts who are more skilled at passing will try to apply our same extravert-side with other introverts.
Tips for Being in Love Bonds with Introverts (Including Yourself):
1.) Allow for the gradual approach ~ I think of introverts like foxes. Three steps forward and two back is still progressing forward. The dance towards and away from something is part of the introvert decision-making process. It is our form of taking action. Try not to rush an introvert.
2.) Provide processing time ~ Especially after social or new experiences, introverts need time to process. I can feel my need to process intensify, and if I don’t make time to be alone and away from external stimulation so I can think back over what I’ve taken in, I feel “oversaturated”, like my thoughts are muddled and I’m edgier and more skittish than usual. I actually feel like I forget things if I don’t have adequate processing time, like they don’t sink in or become integrated fully into my awareness. Time in between, even if it’s short, is important to sort and store information and reorient towards taking in the external world again.
3.) Signal shifts before affecting them ~ Give a warning or notice of an anticipated or desired shift and a little downtime for your introvert to manage their own inner state. How many extraverts have been driven crazy by introverts who said yes to a suggestion then showed no sign of stopping what they were already doing? And how extraverts have then been even more upset when they grew disappointed and withdrew, then had their introvert turn suddenly engaged and ready? Give notice, such as, “We need to go soon,” or a subtle signal like letting the conversations die down, or hints like kissing your introvert lover on the neck and expressing desire, then moving away and giving them a minute to shift from what they were focusing on internally and reciprocate before either pouncing or assuming they’re disinterested.
4.) Gentle transitions ~ Introverts need special care surrounding transitions. They are likely to feel vulnerable and jarred by sudden shifts, when a gradual change would have made both activities enjoyable. Create rituals surrounding transitions when possible, especially when heightened emotions are involved. A pattern that marks and facilitates incoming change can ease the process.
5.) Exhibit patience and reduce pressure, directly or indirectly ~ First, you have to genuinely be patient to exhibit it. But if you do feel patient waiting for your introvert to go through their decision-making process, don’t assume they will know you are accommodating. Give some verbal or nonverbal signals that they can take their time. I often say, “No rush,” or, “Take your time,” or, “If you want to talk about it later, that’s fine,” or, “If you need a while to think about it, that’s okay,” or, “We can talk about it another time.” I say, “No pressure,” and use a casual, gentle tone a lot with my introverted friends. If an introvert freezes up, it’s best to de-escalate the situation rather than increasing pressure. This is tough in conflicts, but very important to keep introverts from becoming overwhelmed.
6.) Leave silences ~ Silent moments may feel awkward due to our social conditioning, but generating comfortable spaces and silences is necessary to get introverts to move past their inhibition. Most introverts won’t “butt in,” so leave some space that is not loaded with pressure or anxious vibes. This can be especially difficult during conflict or potential conflict and other emotionally loaded situations when introverts will try to act with extreme caution and care. Try to be patient and don’t hurry them or they may panic and become reactionary by fleeing or fighting impulsively.
7.) Manage interruptions ~ Try not to interrupt when an introvert is talking. If you do, pick up the thread for them by prompting what they began before you interrupted and asking them to continue what they were saying.
8.) Don’t “play rough” ~ Most introverts will respond to teasing, heckling or other rough wordplay as if it were genuine. This type of aggressive play won’t sit well with most sensitive types, so check the tendency and look for other ways to break the ice or display intimacy when you feel uncertain.
9.) Ask questions ~ Many introverts will give their opinion when prompted, as long as they feel safe. This includes big questions about values and beliefs. My own journaling and writing improved drastically when I began to ask myself questions first, then wrote towards an answer. It was hard for me to pour my opinion out at random, and easy once I was asked, even if I was asking myself.
10.) Try not to suddenly single them out in a group and if you do ally yourself with them quickly ~ Being prompted by a friend to tell a story or give an opinion work for me, but it won’t for all introverts. If you accidentally say something that draws group attention to your introvert unexpectedly, say something quickly to ally yourself with them and bring the attention back to you or spread it to both of you.
11.) Focus alongside one another ~ Introverts often like focusing intently on tasks. Cooking, dancing, watching films, and other activities that can be shared and yet individuated are a good way to spend time with an introvert. You can be connected while allowing them to put their focus on their own inner world, which will be less exhausting for them.
12.) Stay up late ~ Many introverts are less inhibited at night. Staying up late to continue a conversation or hangout can be an excellent way to get to know an introvert intimately. My best conversations with other introverts have mostly taken place between 10pm and 4am. You lose some sleep, but you gain true knowledge of a friend you might not get any other time, which I’ve definitely found worth it.
