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Introverts and amount of time spent alone

Leysing

New member
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
Messages
309
MBTI Type
FiSi
Just for comparison.

How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
What does the required amount depend on?
What do you do when you are alone?
Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?
 

prplchknz

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
34,397
MBTI Type
yupp
Just for comparison.

How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
What does the required amount depend on?
What do you do when you are alone?
Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?

1.according to people who know me, More then I should, most days I probably get out once a week if that not counting class and it's normally for like an hour. But I'm fine, unless I don't anything for month then I get depressed
2.How stressed I am
3.Watch tv, read, listen too music, day dream, play games, think
4.Yes
 

GZA

Resident Snot-Nose
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
1,771
MBTI Type
infp
I usually don't mind, or even enjoy, spending most of the day alone. I enjoy spending time with other people, as long as it isn't for too long (i.e. all day. Half a day of constant socializing is enough for me).

I spend time alone depending on what I feel like doing. Most of my hobbies, such as playing guitar or reading, are things you do alone, so I do those most. I eventually get sick of being alone, and you can only do the same hobbies for so long in a day.

I've felt I was alone for too long. It sucks when that happens and all your friends are on vacation/at work right when it hits :doh:
 

Leysing

New member
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
Messages
309
MBTI Type
FiSi
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
Very much. I could say at least 60 % of the time I am awake daily.

What does the required amount depend on?
The amount of stress and the amount I have been socializing.

What do you do when you are alone?
I listen to music, play the guitar, draw and do other artistic things. I surf in the net and do things with my computer. I go jogging and biking alone. I like to read, as well. And I think and I daydream. I think and daydream very much :D

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?
I sometimes feel like this, but not too often nowadays. I'm still studying, the days are long and the pace is hectic, so I'm often stressed, and I surely don't have the problem of not meeting people. Stress makes me yearn for privacy and peace.
 

disregard

mrs
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
7,826
MBTI Type
INFP
When I have spent insufficient time unbothered (and by "bothered" I mean for it to be neutral) by others--no matter who they are or how much I like them--I will not be able to function effectively. It's not so much "How much time do I need alone?" as "I can only handle a several hours of direct communication with others every couple of days." Otherwise.. I lose touch with myself and I get stressed and scatter-brained.
 

Haphazard

Don't Judge Me!
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
6,704
MBTI Type
ENFJ

How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?


I spend a lot of time alone. I'd wager to say most of my time is spent alone -- if not physically alone, then mentally alone. Even surrounded by people I can get my 'alone' time in if nobody's pestering me.

What does the required amount depend on?


How much is humanly possible

What do you do when you are alone?


Think, write, draw, homework, internet, sundry projects, play instruments. All of my hobbies are solitary activities, actually.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?


Yes.
 

Venom

Babylon Candle
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
2,126
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
1w9
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
i might actaully just have social anxiety, but assuming it is introversion:

1. i generally go out like one night every other week for drinking, if its just hanging out, i can do 3 nights a week of going out.

sometimes if theres too many people in the library, i wont be able to study, even if its quite and i have headphones canceling noise.... so like even if no ones bothering me....i still dont feel comfortable sometimes....

2. weirdly though, if im with an extrovert friend, i feel ok about it, i relax and can do extrovert things like talking to new people all day...its only when im alone that i get this desire to run back to my room and close the door....

3. if im alone, i spend a lot of the time wishing i was with people.

4. i actaully like people, i usaully just get rejected (real or imagined) and then just refuse to socialize for A LONG TIME... like WAY too long
 

colmena

señor member
Joined
Apr 27, 2008
Messages
1,549
MBTI Type
INXP
I spend almost all of my time alone.

Sometimes I crave company, but it's very rare. This can be quite emotional.

The dog gets a two minute cuddle once every few days. We both seem to need it, and it seems to keep us both going.

I use the laptop. Watch films. Play piano. Do my night job. Exercise.


How much time do you have to spend alone?
I can't remember if I have to do anything.

What does the required amount depend on?
My mood, I suppose.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?
Short term:no. Long term:yes.
 

Uytuun

New member
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
1,633
MBTI Type
nnnn
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?

Depends, I can go without alone time for some time, but then I need to recharge and compensate afterwards.

Perhaps on average about 2 hours a day? When I'm with people I feel completely comfortable with, it's less.

What does the required amount depend on?

The alone time-non alone time balance.

What do you do when you are alone?

Preferably nothing immediately useful...mmm, procrastination, interwebs. Being alone is a lot tougher for me when I don't have the internet to keep me occupied...I went out a lot more often when my laptop was away for repairs for a week...I guess I do really feel "connected" through that cable. :p

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?

Yes...it's sometimes hard to find the right balance for me.
 

Wolf

only bites when provoked
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
2,127
MBTI Type
INTJ
It's pretty high, and varies based on how draining the other person is. Some people are effectively neutral-benign, while others are so draining that it takes extended periods to recover.

1) 80-90%, with some exceptions for those that are non-draining. Some I could deal with almost perpetually (less than 5% alone time required), but they're always exceptionally introverted, too.
2) How draining the people/activities/etc are.
3) It varies and matters on where I am. In some places I might go for a hike alone. When gas was less expensive, I'd go on drives alone (too expensive now). Surf the internet, develop software, design things (think), random thinking, etc.
4) It takes a considerable amount of alone time to become lonely. I do have the occasional longing for human contact, but that's pretty rare.
 

cafe

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
9,827
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
9w1
I don't get a lot of really alone time, but most of my household are introverts so we spend a lot time together leaving each other alone. Every week or two, I need to get out and go someplace by myself, get a soda, read a book just for a few hours. That is adequate for me.
 

tenINsFJ

Permabanned
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
479
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
1w9
15-20 at home. the rest is either at work, or tennis/piano practice. and about 3 times a week, out with friends.
 

dnivera

New member
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
165
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
As a grad student, most of my work is very independent. The 9-5 "grind" for me is being in the lab all day, with very little socialization with the 2 other people who work in the lab. This is not enough socialization for me and I need to call a friend when I get home and talk for about an hour.

However, when I worked a "real job," I found the constant extraversion - phone calls, drop-ins, idle chatter - exhausting by the end of the day and I wouldn't want to talk to anyone after that. I needed ~3 hours of "me" time
then.

What does the required amount depend on?
Depends on how much talking I did during the day.

What do you do when you are alone?
Cook a refreshing and delicious meal, sit down and put my feet up, read my RSS feeds, catch up on a TV show I've missed, laundry, clean, pamper self, listen to music, read literature, play a game, let my mind wander a bit. Then my batteries are recharged and I'm ready for the next day!


Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?

Yup. Then I turn off my computer and go out for some fresh air and a walk.
 

Orangey

Blah
Joined
Jun 26, 2008
Messages
6,354
MBTI Type
ESTP
Enneagram
6w5
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
Most of the day. 3-5 hours spent socializing is enough to wear me out.

What does the required amount depend on?
^^Same as above. It depends on how much talking or interacting I did throughout the day.

What do you do when you are alone?
Read, listen to music, play games, space out, think, daydream. The daydream part can and usually is accomplished while I am with people as well.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?
Alone in person, yes. To recover from this, though, I often go out among people alone, like a walk through the city or park. I will also seek out others to talk to, but this is not very often, especially if I've had to deal with people for work or school earlier in the day.
 

gopher

New member
Joined
Jun 27, 2008
Messages
13
MBTI Type
INFP
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
Usually a few hours a day. It could be early morning, afternoon, and sometime evening. Doesn't really matter, I just sort of find it when it is available.

What does the required amount depend on?
The amount of time since the last alone time. It also depends on the amount of stuff I have put off dealing with.

What do you do when you are alone?
It doesn't really matter. I think the most consistent thing is to pop in a movie that I have already seen a few dozen times and either surf the net.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?
Not really. I wish I could be alone more often, but my family and my job don't really allow me this opportunity.
 

helen

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Messages
241
MBTI Type
INFJ
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
I live with my parents and three siblings, and we all frequently have friends dropping in. Because of this, I have less alone time than I might otherwise. Still I spend at least two hours a day alone, when I can, which is most days. Sometimes it's a lot more. Sometimes it is a long stretch of alone time, more often it is broken up throughout the day a little.

What does the required amount depend on?
How stressed I am and how much is on my mind.

What do you do when you are alone?
Read, journal, listen to music, daydream, think, surf the internet, sleep.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?
Yeah, when I start brooding too much, or getting upset over little things. A talk on the phone, an outing with a friend, or even just a change of scene helps this.
 

Jae Rae

Free-Rangin' Librarian
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
979
MBTI Type
INFJ
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?

I spend 1-3 hours alone each day. My kids get up late if they're not at school, so I'm often alone in the morning. Like at Cafe's house, we're all introverts, so we spend time in different rooms with our own activities - reading, computer work, drawing, listening to music, laundry, cooking.

What does the required amount depend on?

If I've had a very social day, I crave being alone. I'll change casual evening plans if I've done too much socializing during the day.


What do you do when you are alone?

Read, muse, use the computer, walk, swim, visit the library, shop, cook, garden, clean. At night I read, listen to music or watch a dvd or TV show.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?

I have a family (2 kids, husband), so I'm rarely alone for more than a few hours. But if I've been sick or in the house due to bad weather for a couple of days, I yearn to be out among other people.
 
Last edited:

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
6,743
MBTI Type
ESFP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?
What does the required amount depend on?

I'm not sure the answers to these questions, because I don't feel like I ever want to be alone. But I know I do require alone time, at the same time knowing that I wouldn't ever choose it if I had the option. I'd rather be with someone I love than be alone. There isn't anything that I don't want to share with somebody. But I know if what I am doing isn't being appreciated by the person I'm with, then I would rather be alone than be with someone who isn't enjoying themself.

What do you do when you are alone?

Listen to music, watch videos, write, read, dink around on the internet, burp, eat, observe the surroundings, sometimes just sit and feel.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?

Yes, most of the time. I miss almost everybody I've ever shared any time with and I wish they were here. Just not all at once. :)
 

bandit

New member
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
18
MBTI Type
INFJ
How much time do you have to spend alone? How frequently?

I spend an enormous amount of time in a day alone. If I can use percentage as a rough indication, it should be about 85% on an average per day. A question more suited for me should be 'How frequently do you hang out with anyone else in a week?'. I do sometimes chat with close friends on MSN, but I can barely recall the last time I hung out with them. I speak to my parents too, but the conversations normally don't last longer than 15 minutes.

What does the required amount depend on?

I find myself spending more time alone when I have set specific goals for myself that I expect myself to achieve in a particular frame of time, like complete a piano piece in 1 1/2 months, or finish composing basslines for this song in a week, or learn 2 new recipes by sunday. Also, when I think I've had enough of being with other people, I 'recluse' to energise. The amount of time I require to fully recharge is infinite. It's only a matter of when I feel like sticking my tortoise head out again to chit chat a bit with the outside world.

What do you do when you are alone?

For me, there's always something to do, more so when I'm alone than when I'm with other people. If I'm not watching documentaries, I'd be playing the piano or bass. Alternatively, you'll catch me picking up a new hobby, sewing, cooking, baking, gardening, drawing, etc. I can't really recall the last time I hung out with anyone else other than my boyfriend.

I don't think rehearsing with my bands counts. I rarely talk or say anything when we're not playing our instruments. So even if I'm at the jam sessions at a jam studio with them, I'm not really there. I only listen to what they say but most of the times, my mind has gone off somewhere else also.

Do you ever feel you have been alone too long?

In fact, I still feel that I need more 'me' time. I really love being alone.
 
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