5 things every introvert should know

Imagine never being allowed to speak your mind, never being able to truly express your thoughts, emotions, or just your life in general. Congratulations, you have just stepped into the shoes of an introvert. You, may mull this thought over in you mind before thinking "Hey, wait a minute. Who's not allowing me to speak?" The truth is sadly, that as an introvert you are the one who keeps yourself from talking.You then think, "Now how can that be true? Why can't I let myself talk?" The answer would be that as an introvert you keep to yourself. You have a hard time talking with other people and people don't seem to understand why you are the way you are. The harder you try to socialize the more awkward things get and you begin to think about home, sitting in you bed reading a book, or watching a good movie ALONE. Parties are great until you're socially drained, which unfortunately, is quite fast. I know this as a personal struggle myself, but over the few years I've lived so far I've found several things to be quite helpful with this issue.

First off, you need to work with extroverts. You heard me, extroverts. E-X-T-R-O-V-E-R-T-S, extroverts. Although they can be somewhat obnoxious at times, extroverts are vital in the life of the introvert. Without them things would be pretty dull. I know that it is a temptation to just stick with other introverts, but the issue still remains. You need someone who will bring out your personality; not someone who is going to help you keep it cloistered away in the back of your brain. I've dated on both spectra of the field, and from my experience the extrovert has always been more fun because he made me have to bring out my personality. Now it's going to be different for everyone, but the majority of introverts I know all say the same basic idea. Whether that individual is a best friend, classmate, or spouse you need to have at least one extrovert in your life as a friend. Second, you need to know when you can take something or when you have to put your foot down. This is a terribly difficult issue to deal with simply because you just cannot get the words out when you need to. You know you need to say something but you just cannot get a word in edge-wise. I usually rehearse what I'm going to say quickly in my head before I say anything. Take a deep breath and lay that intellect down. You are your own boss when it comes to your own thoughts and no one can change that. Third, you should not be ashamed of who you are. God made you that way for a reason, and when God has a reason it is set in the stars for no man to take down. You are special. You are unique in your talents and you are just as useful as an extrovert. So... the next time someone says that introverts don't do anything for society you go up to them and... quickly walk away. Ignore that snot because you don't need that kind of trouble. He doesn't deserve your attention anyway. Fourth, you are totally not alone. There are way more of us than you think. (jk) On a more serious note, reality does indeed reveal to us that 33-50% of the world's population actually consists of, wouldn't you know it, introverts. We understand the day-to-day issues that you deal with: the internalized drama, crunched up emotions, and don't forget the twice the awkwardness with your crush (*wink* *wink*). Believe it or not, there is a common struggle in everything you deal with daily as an introvert. You are never truly alone. Finally, as back up to what was previously said, don't be so introspective. This is where I got into trouble the most. I was always psychoanalyzing myself till I was completely dejected and eventually fell into depression. My grades plummeted and I realized that this was not what God had made me for. Through His grace I rose higher than I was before and am subsequently much more satisfied with my life. So what i have to say to you introverts out there, YOU SHOULDN'T BE AFRAID TO BE YOURSELF. Live as God would have you live under His design.

Step out of the shadows and show people who you really are.