Confusing Introversion, Depression, & Loneliness

[Leysing]

Blah. I-E is based on temperament that is based on brain structure that is physiological and genetic. No one becomes an introvert.

 

[ZiL]

Then again, imagine a depressed extrovert who mistyped self as introvert. S/he won't get the energy s/he needs while retreating to introversion because s/he prefers to be alone, so s/he's always depressed . . .

Wait . . .

That's pretty much my experience. I was completely sold on being an introvert for like 2 years after a history of feeling out-of-place in school and in response to that withdrawing. The withdrawal never made me happy though - just more depressed and lethargic. I was far more pessimistic as well. But then with an environment change and some work on my self-confidence, I started to realize that a lot of my depression was based on not recieving enough or the right kind of stimuli, and that shutting myself off was only exacerbating the problem. Since then I've sought to reverse the pattern and put myself out there more, and I've noticed that I've become far more optimistic and at ease - and that being around people/being actively involved in the outside environment is what I want for myself deep down, though at times I may be too socially anxious to persue those goals properly. But I'm working on that too.

I still enjoy doing stuff alone though. But I can't go for very long without needing to get out - without that balanced I can't get charged up enough to work on my more solitary hobbies.