6 Things You Need To Know About Introverts Like Me

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1. Don’t interpret my shyness for rudeness.

I can’t tell you how many times people thought I was being snobby when in fact I was only being socially awkward and felt like a deer trapped in the headlights. It’s not that I don’t like you so much as the fact that I’m afraid you won’t like me.

2. Awkward silences are worse for me than for you.

If there’s a lull in the conversation, you only feel bored and will probably blame me. I feel like you hate me, and I blame myself.

3. If three’s a crowd, ten’s a nightmare.

While you may feel happy amid a huge crowd of people, I feel claustrophobic. At times it’s like I can’t even breathe. I wish it wasn’t this way, but I’m far better one-on-one than one-on-ten.

4. Being alone doesn’t make me feel nearly as lonely as being in a crowd.

You may think there’s something wrong with me because I like to be alone. Sometimes I think there’s something wrong with you because you seem afraid to be alone with your own thoughts.

5. Telling me to smile won’t help.

Neither will telling me I’m too quiet. If you mention that I seem uncomfortable, this will only make me a hundred times more uncomfortable. I wish it didn’t work that way, but it does.

6. Once you pierce my bubble, I’m the sweetest, warmest person you’ll ever know.

When the bubble is pierced…or the ice is broken…or I’ve let down my force field…you’ll discover I’m one of the funniest and most talkative people you’ve ever met. Not many people are patient enough to wait around until I’ve let down my guard, but the ones who stick with my through my painfully shy phase are amazed at how fun I am when they get to know the real me.