By Trishla Verma, batch of 2020
There are no two sides to this when we say that introverts are the most misjudged people. What’s more? We wouldn’t quite blame you for it. We are complex beings with even more complex minds. And when this complex mind isn’t good with communicating in speech to you, it can be pretty hard to understand what goes on in our mind. Thankfully, this particular introvert brings to you a few key points which could lead you one step closer into understanding us.
1. The Solitary Haven: No, we aren’t upset. We just need to be alone. For us, a solo venture isn’t a penance. It isn’t a last resort for us when we have run out of companions to talk to. It is a form of solace, it is a much-needed relief. It gives us a unique sense of freedom we hardly ever get to experience otherwise. In extrovert terms, it’s the kind of freedom you experience when you’re in a crowd, the center of attention, and you can’t wait to let it all out. So the next time you see one of us sitting by ourselves in the corner, we aren’t lonely, we are perfectly content!
2. The Comfort Factor: If we can sit with you and babble on for hours on end, while you hardly see our mouths moving when we’re with a stranger, congratulations, this means we are utterly comfortable with you. If we can sit next to you and rant, you’re an extremely special soul to us. People may perceive us as closed books, but we aren’t. Just extremely engaging thick hardbound limited edition ones- it would take effort to find and open them once, but once you do, it’d be hard to put them down.
3. The Social Phobia: When you invite us to an outing or a party, we are likely to think of every possible way we could say no and avoid being a part of the whole thing. It’s not because we don’t like you or don’t want to hang out. It’s just that the prospect of staying in the warmth of our beds with watching our beloved TV shows beats that of going out and having to socialize. Since this is so baffling to the general population, we just lie and make up an excuse. You got to hand it to us for our outstanding creativities at those moments, though.
4. The Dreaded Quandary: Sometimes, we run out of the ingenious excuses. Or we forcibly drag ourselves to that party because our friends would never condone it if we don’t, and we convince ourselves that maybe it’ll turn out to be ‘not so bad’? The moment we enter and look at the vast crowd and hear the resounding noise, we’re nothing short of nervous wrecks. We’ll tend to stay towards the sidelines tailing a couple of close friends, hoping they won’t force us to converse with strangers or move to the center. We will however pretend to relish the aura, admire the party, laugh (because doing otherwise just raises questions we don’t want to answer), but open the exit doors and we’ll be out before you know it.
5. We’re not all bad, though: Despite all of the aforementioned points, we are not boring people, as we are commonly perceived to be. Our innate ability to listen more and talk less gives us a sizable insight into most of the happenings around, and all the latest gossip. We may not open up immediately, but give it time, and it’ll be hard to shut us up. We are the ones you come to, if you want to have a heart-to-heart conversation. We are the ones you can trust when you’re really in need. We are really the best people (did I mention we are quite modest?).
By the way, while I am writing this, I was supposed to be at a friend’s party. Well, I like to write when I am in poor health.
*fake cough*