It's been said the introverts recharge from alone time and extroverts from people time. So even though I can be very excitable and gregarious, I am most definitely an introvert.

These things are not as apparent through the casual observation of others as we think.

Full agreement here Jilly.

I am hosting or attending a social event at least 3x per month. Add to it, the homeschool gatherings that occur weekly for my girls.

When I host, my guests tend to stay hours after the party should have ended. And, when we vacation, there tends to be lots of tagalongs (fun, fun, fun), sometimes as many as 15.

No one knows that afterwards, it takes me at least 24-72 hours to recover from an event I've hosted (24 hours for a party, 72 hours or more for a vacation).

Yes, absolutely. I need to actually plan in downtime/alone time after too much interaction with others. It's something I only this year learned about myself, but knowing it now really helps.

For example, today was an 'alone' day. I was busy yesterday and will be the same all the way though to next monday. yeesh! So i carefully guarded my day of non-socializing today.

Writing in the forums doesn't count.

My mistake is, I don't really plan it. I just find that I can't do anything but retreat.

I'm on vacation now with others. I'm in the middle of a two week whirlwind vacation. I've been trying to plan alone time while on the trip. Right now though, I am realizing that I need to also plan to have downtime when I return and I need to let my family know that I will need it.

Think I'll send a text to my babysitter and plan some time off while my husband is at work or school.

And Jilly, you are right; the forum does not count.

I love the give and take of our forum conversations. They fit right into alone time.

Im 16 :) and what i think i went through was a bit complicated. But from the past few years , the mixed events made me aggressive and some kind of rude. Though, this behavior was for less people but i used to lose my self really quick. This affected much of my life, like my family. Then, slowly but gradually i realized this all is going a bit too far, and let me add this i never shared or nor i do now my really personal secrets and feelings. That kind of makes people think im tough and rough but on the inside im really sensitive and some kind of emotional too. With all these dramas in my mind, not sharing how i fell because people will see me weak i just made this all bump onto my brain which caused a great deal of temper tantrums and rudeness at times. But , then i patched up with a really good friend and sooner the better i got closer to my friend . He really taught me how to be a tolerant person and deal with patience, not like he taught me but his attitude was kind of like that. So, i kind of got opened up and few other dramas like that . hence this all made me suppress my anger and sorrow into happiness and fun. So what i learned was patience and tolerance is really important and one should try their best to bring it up in them. :) Chao

I am an introvert and I find that I need a good amount of alone time for thinking, de-stressing, relaxing, and finding solutions to my problems. Too much people time for me makes me very stressed and unhappy. I do have to dole it out in small doses, and I have been accused of being anti-social, but it is just who I am. I care about people, especially my family and friends, but I do need adequate alone time for peace within myself.

Mashal-

Welcome and thanks for starting in the Inspiration forum.

Patience and tolerance are huge. Replacing tantrums and rudeness with happiness and fun is even bigger.

Being 16 can find you in a very emotional space in life. It's a wonderful time for self-reflection. That said, being 16 can also find you in an extremely wise space in life. Moments alone allow you to assess and edit and tap into that spiritual voice that leads to days that seem to get better and better.

Kudos to you and your friend. To your friend for being an inspiration and to you for recognizing it.

This might be a good time for you to read The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo. I didn't read it until I was 30. I found it to be an easy read and a poetic story that inspired me to recognize and utilize opportunities in life. In my 40's I understand the tale even better. At 16, you should gather some beautiful insight to the journey you are on. I think your wisdom will grasp this tale and provide you with new radar on life.

Congratulations for getting to know you at such an early age. May your journey be bright. And may you continue to grace us with your presence and wisdom.

Hey Debbie-

Being an introvert is in. Knowing that you are an introvert and how to make it work for you is priceless.

Thanks for sharing.

Debbie, this is exactly me! I could have written that. How cool.

Hi Again!

In case you had not noticed, the Inspiration Site is beginning a Book Club July 1, 2012.

The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz is an awesome read for learning more about ourselves. I've read it 3 times and each time, I learn something new about me.

Read it and join the forum beginning July 1st. Hope to see you there.