I have always been an introverted person, slowly chipping away at my shell and then building my walls again, ad nauseam. I used to associate introversion, or rather, my shyness, with a feeling of inadequacy; why couldn't I easily talk with others, why was I always worried about what others thought, why couldn't I always be happy and bubbly around others?
A specific incident in high school sticks out to me. After doing personality tests to figure out what careers were best suited for us, a fellow classmate was discussing how she couldn't click with 'introverts', as they were always quiet, a buzzkill, and 'you never knew what they were thinking'. It clashed so strongly with my idea of introverts, those who were quiet and didn't seek attention, who thought carefully before speaking, and who sought to share the spotlight instead of standing in it.
As I continue growing older, I slowly embraced my introverted tendencies. I push myself to spend more time alone, while I have always loved being at home alone, but when I am outside by myself, I would only think about the countdown until I would be at home again. I discovered, once I could forget a little about my surroundings, that I really enjoyed my own company. Travelling especially, was a great experience that I am eager to repeat again. There really is no conclusion to this - I am still introverted, I like spending time with people, but I definitely need that recharging time. I slowly become more and less introverted with each experience, and I know a significant change is unlikely to happen.
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