5 Things That Make Being An Introvert Pretty Awesome

I’ve spent years feeling guilty whenever I wanted to spend time alone instead of doing things with family or friends. And I still feel guilty every time someone points that out. “It’s not good for you to like being alone so much.” She said to me. “What do you mean, it’s not good for me? I’m not dying.” Her statement had made me angry, it was as if she had attacked a part of who I was and defined it as something bad. “I’m just saying that we – humans – are not made to be alone.”

People often use the words “introverted” and “shy” as if they’re the same thing. They’re definitely not. There’s nothing wrong with either one of them! They are, however, not the same. While a shy person is most likely also an introvert, an introvert is not necessarily shy, as well. This should clear up the misconception of the difference between an extrovert and an introvert. Both extroverts and introverts are perfectly capable of being social and enjoying themselves. However, while an extrovert feeds himself with more energy when being social, an introvert gets drained of energy. That’s it. That’s the difference. We need some alone time to recharge again. HuffPost Healthy Living blogger Kate Bartolotta explains this well: “Most of us like it. We’re happy to give, and love to see you. When the cup is empty though, we need some time to refuel. We aren’t mad. We don’t stop caring about you. We’ll be so happy to see you and talk to you again when we’ve had some time to decompress.”

Are you an introvert? Here are 5 things that make being an introvert pretty awesome for everyone involved.

1. You’re never really bored.

You know how to entertain yourself, even when you’re alone. You don’t need a lot to make it a perfect day. A good book, the right music, or merely pen and paper can be enough. Sometimes you don’t even need anything to make it a perfect day. A walk all by yourself through nature while being lost in your own thoughts can be enough, too.

2. You’re never really lonely.

You don’t necessarily need other people to have a good time. The feeling of loneliness is – to you – not associated with lack of people around you. It is more associated with not having the opportunity to be yourself completely. Also, the right book or music can make you feel less lonely. See #1.

3. You’re a pretty good addition to the team.

There’s often that one person in a team that doesn’t do much, but is still part of the team and the credit the team collectively receives. While that can be really frustrating, you still do all the extra work that needs to be done and get that awesome feeling of accomplishment. Which brings us to #4, this can all be possible because…

4. You’re pretty productive.

While your friends are out, you don’t mind staying home and finish that project you were working on. You finished that book you started reading a few days ago. You responded to every single work email. Check check check! You deserve a glass of wine and a good book before going to bed. Talking so much about books…

5. You’re one of the few left that enjoys holding an actual book in your hands.

While the internet rocks and makes knowledge about different topics so much more accessible, you still have the need to hold an actual book that’s made of paper. Yes, a few trees unfortunately had to die to make this possible, but you consider it as an awesome afterlife for the tree. The tree didn’t really die, it just transformed into a beautiful piece that consists of words that stimulate your imagination and brain to get to work!