By now, everyone has probably been impacted by the ongoing not-yet-to-be-resolved epidemic of the year (hopefully). Being in UK with the entire ‘social-distancing‘ thing and lockdown-(ish) regulations going on, one can go insane. Earlier today, I came across a post, on Facebook, that mentioned the concepts of extroversion and introversion. Despite being quite lengthy, the post missed the points and the meanings of the two concepts to begin with, which makes me wonder how many people out there with a misconception about the two terms. Someone recently told me: “You must be going crazy being inside”, to which I asked what they meant and was told: “Because you’re such an extrovert“. “Interesting” – I thought to myself.
I believe the definitions that most people are familiar with go something like this: extroverts love being with others while introverts love being alone (maybe not exactly that, but most likely something along those lines). Yes and No. These terms mean differently in comparison between a daily conversation and a specifically psychological context (here goes the inner academic student).
| Extroversion – Extrovert | Introversion – Introvert |
| Extroversion draws energy and ideas externally using social connections to develop ideas and inspiration Extroverts process information with others and look at big pictures and not the details, which leads to quick decision-making Extroverts thrive in busy, stimulating environments with an outward orientation | Introversion draws energy from the inner world of ideas and concepts Introverts are introspective, analyse details, think carefully before speaking and are considered slow decision-makers Introverts are comfortable with working alone and have inward orientation |
Of course I am in no place to educate anyone because I literally used that source as a reference in my past academic papers once or twice, but that is a really amazing article on extroversion vs. introversion and how these styles can be adapted in life, so worth a read. Understanding these, on a personal perspective, will really allow you to know what to do when you struggle with aspects in life: work, fun, mentality and creativity.
The reason why I want to mention the key differences and point out the actual definitions of these two terms from a more common academically agreed standpoint is because it is important for us all to understand to which extent we are more inclined toward. I am sure that there are people out there, after looking at these definitions, wonder which one they are. Personally, I am somewhere in between, and I think that the majority of people are. It just depends on the circumstances that we have to adopt either of the styles. I do enjoy others’ companies and I am always so grateful that I have so many amazing friends and I get to hang out with them more often than not. But as a confession, every so often, I get drained out and think of these interactions as social obligations. Friends and connections are important and meaningful, that is undeniable, but one should never have to feel obliged to hang out with people, because its whole point is to have fun.
Now that we are having to deal with this whole ‘social-distancing’, our social lives can seriously suffer (to certain extent of course—not everyone is the same). Like I mentioned earlier, as someone who lies in between the two styles, I was very excited to have some “me” time, until I had too much “me” time. Now, I am asking the inner introvert in me for advice of what to do for these next couple of weeks. As a little context, I have been having a lot of symptoms and feeling extremely unwell for the past couple of weeks and finally starting to be on the mend now :’). Let’s not lie to ourselves, there are tons of things we can do to keep ourselves booked and busy during this quarantine time. To all you final year students, are you not all having your dissertations to write? To all you in your school and other years of your university degree, have you read everything that has been there as suggested readings by your lecturers and teachers? Probably not because I know I would have never done that in my school years and my first three years of university. But reading really IS powerful, as long as you are reading about things you are interested in.
Also, go and have a hobby or exercise instead of spending all day sleeping (unless you have not been able to sleep enough). Think about creative activities that used to spark the joys in you and spend some time (does not matter how much time—as long as it is more than 10 minutes) trying them out again. There is this one exercise-interview on YouTube that I just saw today that I might seriously try out tomorrow. It was uploaded by Alexa Chung, who I am so charmed by, by the way! She is disgustingly funny, so I highly recommend watching that, maybe just for fun, maybe for a motivation to work out.
Or, go on and watch all the films you have been meaning to watch and all the series you have been saving in your Netflix‘s “My List“—it does not hurt having some entertainment to yourself during this difficult time. A few popular shows that I personally recommend include: The Haunting of Hill House, The Umbrella Academy, How to Get away with Murder, Grace and Franky (highly recommend) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Or maybe go watch YouTube or play Sims 4. Apparently it is on 75% off for now and the game is quite fun.
And finally, go and talk to people you care about and reply to those messages (definitely something I have to work on—I am incredibly bad at texting and video-calling). I read this one news article about how a family could not hug or kiss goodbye to a family member who had sadly passed away because of the virus, and it hit me hard ; A ; . So before it is too late and if you have not done that, go and tell the people you love that you love them, especially the elders.
If you have made it to the end, thank you so much! Now go, wash them hands, clean your personal spaces and have an amazing day! A big warm heart from a social distance. X
"Social networking is an ironic name for something that has little to do with connecting us with others and everything to do with self-promotion" - Alexa Chung
*Farrell, M. (2017). Leadership Reflections: Extrovert and Introvert Leaders. Journal of Library Administration, 57(4), 436-443
A Chaotic Soul 