DavidWolfe.comEstimates place the amount of introverts on the planet at 50% of the total world population. But despite a pretty even split between extroverts and introverts, we still live in an overwhelmingly extrovert-centric world. Business, politics and even social gatherings just seem so much more geared towards those who are naturally more outgoing and people-friendly.
In such situations, introverts can often come across as rude or unfriendly. But if you are an introvert, you know that’s not the intention. Rather, the desire to keep to oneself comes from finding energy from within rather than from other people. We do love people, but we get drained from being around too many at once.
While this can make us a bit awkward in certain situations, it does grant us abilities extroverted people don’t always have.
Here are 6 things introverts do incredibly well.
1. Listening.
If you connect with an introvert, you connect. The conversation will be unlike one you might have with an extrovert because introverts typically absorb so much more information in social situations. We don’t typically like being the center of attention, so we’re much more inclined to listen.
2. Being self-aware.
By the very nature of introversion, we tend to spend a lot of time alone. When introverts spend so much time alone, they often don’t have much to entertain themselves with other than their own thoughts and feelings.
This makes us introverts very good at picking up on our own feelings and knowing our emotional limits.
3. Picking up on the emotions of others.
When you’re able to read your own emotions so well, it puts you in a good position for reading others’ as well. As an introvert, ‘the individual’ is what you know best. While introverts may not be the best at reading a crowd, we can connect and figure out what individuals are feeling — no problem.
4. Caring for animals.
When you’re an introvert, talking can be a pain. And sometimes it leaves you wishing you could communicate with no words whatsoever. And that’s where animals come in. They don’t talk, and if you want to talk to them, there’s no fear of having them over-analyze what you’re saying, which is a fear introverts often have when talking to other humans.
5. Thinking before speaking.
Before introverts approach a conversation, they’ve probably played it out in their head several times. They consider what they want to say because they know exactly how they feel.
I often take ages to respond to texts and emails, not because I’m lazy or trying to be rude, but because I want to be sure I say exactly what I mean, and sometimes that means meditating for a bit to listen to my emotions.
6. Taking time for themselves.
A lot of people feel guilty for taking a day or two every week to be by themselves, away from friends. But when you’re an introvert, such days are a necessity. They help you recharge, which in turn will help you be a better friend.