A Day to be Seen and Heard: World Introvert Day
Alyssa Waller, Staff Writer
Jan. 2 is World Introvert Day, a day when introverts are celebrated for being their own unique selves. Each person is different, and that goes the same for introverts. Introverts are unique in their own ways. Some will talk nonstop once they find their friend groups, while others take their time to open up.
Kai McAnally, an early education major, said she likes being alone. Friends tire her out in a good way, while people who aren’t her friends will tire her out in a bad way. She can get her thoughts out by writing, while extroverts can get their thoughts out by talking. McAnally added, “It’s irritating when extroverts talk a lot.”
McAnally said extroverts do not understand that introverts are okay when they are quiet, but introversion is a personality trait. People assume that she’s intimidating, when in reality she’s nice. McAnally said, “Introverts can be leaders, and they will have a different style of leading than extroverts do.”
A healthy mix of friends who are introverts and extroverts is good because each person is different. For example, the good thing about extroverts is that they take things head on.
When asked about how people can appreciate introverts, McAnally said, “Just listen.”
There are different types of introverts — not all are shy or have social anxiety. There are people who are social introverts, thought introverts and anxious introverts. McAnally said, “We can learn from each other. Extroverts can learn from introverts and vice versa.”
Starr Fullerton, an early education major, likes peaceful and mostly quiet. Fullerton said, “The main challenge is finding people to hang out with because I’m an introvert, but I hate being alone at the same time.”
When it comes to hanging out with others, it depends on the day. If she is tired, she would prefer to hang out with other introverts. But when she is full of energy and in a good mood, she likes hanging out with extroverts.
Introverts keep to themselves and their small groups of people. They do not really bother others and are mostly quiet.
Introverts tend to shy away from interactions with others. As a society, we just put that label on people because introverts do not talk as much and are not as involved in conversations with others. Some people do not tend to join in on social interactions, whether that be one-on-one or in a crowd.
Steve Biebly, director of counseling said, “We would characterize them as being reserved and just not as willing to disclose or talk about themselves.”
Bielby said it’s easy to jump to introversion as a personality type, but it is more of a personality trait. It would be a personality type if it was a detriment in their relationships with others — whether that be on the job, academically or in a relationship.
Being introverted or extroverted is not the only characteristic of who a person is. There’s more to a person than that. Bielby added, “I think it is really easy to label people, with all kinds of things: a diagnosis, a personality type…and we put people in a box.”
Introversion can be accepted as a way of life, and adjustments can be made in order to function well in society, on the job, at school or in relationships.
Biebly said, “It is not about becoming extroverted, like extroversion is the way to go. Either extreme can carry negative consequences.”
Bielby said it’s about finding a balance if some introverts are discovering ways of being more comfortable with themselves. It’s also about the ability to be free, have conversions with others and share life with one another.
It is possible to overcome being an introvert. The primary way for introverted Christians to have a better balance is in the whole area of self-esteem and self-image. Some people have taken a hard hit somewhere in life about their appearance and hearing negative comments from others about their appearance. Other people probably have seen themselves as having some undesirable bodily characteristic that they are not comfortable with.
Biebly said, “I think the antidote to that is that there’s other reasons why someone would be introverted.”
A starting point for Christians would be to consider who they are and how God sees them. Biebly gave an example from Psalm 139 where it says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God was fashioning us into something attractive to God, who had made and formed us. It calls into question: does it matter what other people think?
When people say good things about others, self-esteem goes up and when someone says condescending things, self-esteem goes down. Biebly said, “I think getting the final word on it from the One who made us, Himself can really help temper that tendency to introversion because it would help you know your personal value to God.”
There are also scriptures in Romans where it says that God’s spirit testifies that we are His children. God is telling His children who they are and what they are about.
Biebly said, “In a relationship with God, you are discovering more and more about the One who made us, and from that being told who we are, what we are, what we’re for, that we are unique, special and have great value not only in God’s eyes, but as we read in scripture, we have great value to the world around us as well.”
Counseling can be helpful. The counselors at NGU counseling talk to students who have damaged self-esteem or self-image that has to be healed. Biebly said, “Often I would say it does play into a person being a little reserved and standoffish from people because of a misunderstanding about themselves.”
There is nothing wrong with being an extrovert or introvert. Those are personality traits, which is just the way it is. It only becomes problematic when it is distressful to the person who is introverted or if it is a burden to the people in their lives, or adverse to a relationship. Biebly said, “When those kinds of things are happening, then I think it’s worth taking a look at it as a problem.”
Shyness and introversion are synonymous in some ways. Shyness is kind of a mild social anxiety, a fear of being seen by others in a negative way. Introversion is more about feeling drained from being around people and needing to be alone to recharge. Biebly said, “In counseling, you would approach them very, very similarly.”
An extreme opinion is that being an introvert would not work in the workplace, but sometimes it depends on the workplace. If one were to work remotely, it could work well. On the other hand, if it is in an office, it may not work out. If an introvert does not have to work with people often, then there are not as many problems. It depends on what the workplace looks like and the role one has in the workplace.
There are people who are great public speakers who are introverted. When they get on stage, they are able to flip the switch and they become a totally different person. Biebly said, “As a general rule, I think introversion is going to work against you. It’s not something to be ashamed of, it’s not something to feel guilty about, it’s just the way you are.”
