Introverts are aliens surviving in a world full of extroverted humans.

This is why it is challenging being an introvert in an extrovert world.

It is considered unusual or unorthodox.

This is how introverted behaviors get treated among what is considered “normal”.

You hear the same old tired tropes like, “Be a people person”, “why are you so quiet”, or “Get over it”.

There is hope for introverts. You can thrive and just survive in the extroverted world.

Be selfish and understand what you need

Introverts are more misunderstood than foreigners attempting to speak a local language.

Understand the importance of recognizing introverted tendencies and understanding personal boundaries to reduce overwhelming situations.

Introverts will burn themselves out like fitting a square peg into a circle.

This is because some introverts don’t understand what they need or feel. This makes it difficult to set boundaries for themselves. This lack of self-awareness can cause a lot of self-inflicted wounds.

Issues from not setting boundaries:

• You will be taken advantage of
• You eventually get mentally burnt out
• You will be consumed by the feeling of being overwhelmed

How to set boundaries:

• Set expectations for yourself and communicate those expectations to others.
• Be selfish with your time because you only have finite energy. This way you will prioritize what is important.
• Prioritize your time with what is important for the day, you will have all of this “To-do list” in your head but you won’t get all of it done so start the day with the most important task.

“Our culture made a virtue of living only as extroverts. We discouraged the inner journey, the quest for a center. So we lost our center and have to find it again.” ~Anais Nin

Nobody listens but you

It is challenging being silent and standing out in a loud extroverted world.

Introverts can use their natural ability of deep listening to understand and engage with people around them.

Introverts get misunderstood for not listening due to being an active listeners.

This is the life of an introvert. When introverts listen, they take on an observational approach and this approach gets confused with disinterest. Few take the time to listen because everyone is fighting for attention.

This is why listening is a superpower for introverts.

How to properly use the art of listening:

• Use the power of observation by reading body language, listening to tonality, and reading facial expressions.
• Use the power of introspection by giving others a different perspective.
• Use the power of deep conversations to understand. It is difficult to understand another when discussing shallow conversations.

Be seen with one on connections.

More people do not equate to better friendships.

Focus on individual relationships can help introverts manage in an extroverted world, capitalizing on their strengths.

There is a false perception that the more friends you have, the less lonely you will feel. This mindset is adapted from the “Facebook Curse” where having thousands of friends makes you feel like people care. Nobody has the energy or time to manage all of those friendships properly.

Issues trying to build friendships like an extrovert:

• When you collect people like baseball cards, these friendships are like empty calories, people may be there physically but mentally you have no real connection with them.
• You will become burnt out attempting to manage every person you call a friend because you met them. The larger your network is, the more shallow some of the connections will be which puts these individuals in the acquaintance category.
• Attempting to join large groups of people is a game of who can be the loudest. The loudest usually gains the respect of everyone as they are severely disillusioned into thinking this person is the most confident. You will lose motivation trying to compete for everyone’s attention.

How to build friendships like an introvert:

• Find ways to connect with people on a one-on-one basis. This is where your introvert empathy shines through with connection.
• Use your introverted hobbies to find like minds. Think about introverted activities such as writing, books, or anything related to creation.
• Keep your circle small and manageable. As an introvert, you only have so much energy to maintain all of your friendships. Keeping your friendship circle small enables you to develop genuine connections.

Take some me time

The more people you are around, the less you know yourself.

It is for introverts to spend time alone, recharge, and engage in activities they enjoy to survive in an extroverted world.

Introverts get burnt out from too much mental stimulation. This comes in many forms but the common culprit is too much socializing. Unfortunately, socializing is a huge part of day-to-day life.

What are other ways introverts get burnt out:

• Long periods of socializing without any mental breaks.
• Surviving the day from obligations such as family, friends, and work. After that, attempting to do something for yourself leaves you drained.
• Pretending to be extroverted for job purposes. When we have bills to pay, we get stuck at jobs that go into our weaknesses.

Why is it crucial for introverts to take care of themselves:

• Introverts spend most of their days trying to fit in an extroverted world. There is only so much energy a person has before they start operating on empty.
• Introverts’ minds turn to mush when they are overstimulated. Stimulation is at its worst when it comes to people. Constantly having people project themselves onto you every day while having to decipher whose feeling you are feeling, theirs or yours?

Extroversion is an enormously appealing personality style, but we’ve turned it into an oppressive standard to which most of us feel we must conform ― Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking