Hey,
We have problem that we need to talk about. Do you know someone who prefers keeping to themselves? Someone who’d rather spend time alone reading, writing, thinking, whatever they like. Their idea of fun involves staying at home or spending time out in the midst of nature. Ring a bell? Yes, I’m talking about our peers who’re described as Introverts.
No, introverts aren’t the problem. Rather they face a major problem – that of being judged.
“We got an introvert on our hands”
Let me show you:
1. You don’t understand why they won’t open up –
Setting – House party
Random Dude – So tell me about yourself
Introvert – Umm..uh..I..
Random Dude – Okay
“So shy he is”
2. You think they’re nerdy for not going out
Colleague – Hey what plans this weekend?
Introvert – Oh busy weekend, have my book to complete, some games to play on XBox and sleep a lot
Colleague – But what plans?
Introvert – I just told you my plans
Colleague – Okay
“What a nerd!”
3. You don’t understand how they can be happy being alone
Colleague – So what did you do this weekend?
Introvert – Oh I went for a two day hike.
Colleague – Nice, with whom?
Introvert – No one, I went alone. It was so much fun
Colleague – Okay
“What a wierdo!”
4. You’re puzzled when they don’t want to hangout
Friend – Hey you wanna hangout tomorrow?
Introvert – Uh..who all will be there?
Friend – Oh no one. Just Madhu, Sally, Arun……<Names 10 more people>
Introvert – Umm, no I’ll pass <Makes a generic excuse>
Friend – Okay
“Why can’t she just hangout with people like a normal person?”
5. You think them underconfident for not speaking up
Project Partner – Hey, you did this whole section of the project. Wanna present this to the class?
Introvert – No, it’s all yours
Project Partner – Okay
“Man, he’s so underconfident!”
So, as you can see, introverts are judged a lot.
“Shy”, “weird”, “nerd”, “aloof”, these are but a few of the many tags that our introverted friends are tired of being unfairly associated with.
Introverts are anything but those things. Technically speaking, Introverts are people who’re too sensitive to the neurotransmitter – Dopamine. What is Dopamine you ask? Well, as Psychology Today puts it –
It’s a chemical that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional responses, and it enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move toward them
Setting aside the scientific mumbo-jumbo, it simply means that in surroundings like a noisy supermarket, or a party with lots of people talking, introverts tend to get overwhelmed, and shut down. Unfortunately, they get judged for this.
Infact, if anything, introverts are better than extroverts at a lot of things, including – you won’t believe it – public speaking.
So let’s be a little more mindful about our introverted friends and respect them for who they are.
Are you an introvert and absolutely tired of getting judged? Do you want to unravel your best qualities? Your #SilentWhispers don’t have to be silent anymore. Talk to an Expert at YourDOST.
Cover Image Source – http://betweenrootswings.com/
