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Coping with Introversion

Frostshade

New member
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
31
MBTI Type
IXXX
I may not fully know or understand my personality type and dominate cognitive functions, but I am absolutely sure I am an introvert. A *strong* introvert. Working in retail kills me. There are days where I can be somewhat amiable and try hard to put forward a good face, but most days can tire me with the constant interaction. Especially busy days. Talking to these people drives me insane, especially when they are slow on the uptake, or just being jerkish in general. Friends sometimes don't seem to completely grasp why it is I get so negative and dour at work. They don't get why I can't just go home and be better the next day. Why working Sundays fills me with dread.
I can sense the confusion and frustration sometimes when I'm hesitant to join them in a gathering or outing. I always have fun, but at times I almost want to step outside and just sit there in the quiet a little bit.

I need the quiet, and the lack of people so bad sometimes that I think I'm going to have a break down. Very slowly I'm coming to hate just people in general. One of my friends already says, "but you have to remember, Frost hates everything" with some frequency. He's joking but its also somewhat true.

This past holiday shopping week has beaten me both mentally and emotionally. So I have to ask, how do other introverts deal with it all? Is there even such a thing as a strong introvert, or could there be something else wrong with me that causes this frantic emotional distress when I'm actively engaged with the general populace? Or is it possible I'm just a neurotic whiner?
 
G

Ginkgo

Guest
I understand. For me, it seems like the periods of time I need to recharge aren't optional when I'm in a routine that involves work or study. Furthermore, it seems like people think I'm alienating them when I don't talk or when I retreat somewhere else to reflect on what's going on around me. I simply don't have the energy to process and organize everything as it's happening; ergo the only way to cope is to stop thinking and let it happen. My dominant function is Ji, so my judgements are more of my own, and therefore they are more deliberate, making learning and experiencing the world an act of control. If I stop thinking and trying to shape things according to how I judge the world, "autopilot" kicks in, but that's only possible if I'm good and confident at what I do. If I were you, I would learn the ropes quickly so you don't have to exert as much energy taking in new information later on. That way, what would normally be a task suited for an extraverted personality becomes a more introverted endeavor - you know it almost as well as you know yourself.

Introverts tend to require more time to absorb and dispense information, so a fast paced work environment is less than ideal for someone who has trouble in that way. However, there are ways around it, and my way is one in which I learn to manage my energy with the future in mind. Introverts, when faced with one task or another, may focus more deeply on things. Once an object is the center of their attention, it's plumbed through and through in a way that would make an extravert feel confined, or make an extravert think the introvert is a perfectionist. The trick is to make everything of the outside world, wherever you may be, the content of your own introverted world. Mission control.
 

Flux

New member
Joined
Apr 16, 2011
Messages
46
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Maybe you just need to switch your environment if at all possible. I think I am somewhere in the middle of the scale. There are times when I need stimulation and people and there are other times where I put up a big neon sign on my forehead that says: DO NOT DISTURB. There is nothing wrong with you and nothing wrong with being introverted. Honestly, there is probably nothing worse than wanting to be alone and then having a bubbly person come to annoy you when you need space.
 

ZtX

New member
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Messages
15
MBTI Type
ISTP
Try coping with your job instead of coping with your introversion. You can't change who you are, but you can change your approach to things. I really wouldn't choose a job in retail, but if I was forced to work in that area, I would make it a game to set up goals to reach. Also, I'd become completely anti-social in my spare time, but that's a different matter.
 

thisGuy

New member
Joined
Mar 14, 2009
Messages
1,187
MBTI Type
entp
You gotta figure out how to cope with Extroversion, not Introversion.

big difference
 
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