So You’re An Introvert

I’m an introvert.

This comes as no surprise to some people. Others, who know me only in certain settings, express being totally surprised. Some have even thought I was joking.

But, yea, no joke. I’m an introvert. But, for a number of reasons (not the least of which is being a business owner), I choose to be intentional with exercising my extrovert muscle.

As I did the past couple of weeks.

Socializing; meeting with people new to me; talking in front of people for various lengths of times; even reaching out via social media, email, and other non-verbal ways of communicating.

I willingly, even confidently, made my way through all of them.

Then came Friday. A day set aside for other things requiring nothing more than being hidden away alone in my office. A day set aside for catching up.

There was only one problem.

I was exhausted. I had no physical or mental energy. I was, in a word, done.

“Life is what happens when you have other things planned” was always one of my mom’s favorite quotes.

I had other plans. But, my entire being screamed, “Sorry, not today.”

What did I do?

First, I acknowledged, and most importantly, accepted my fatigue and the reason behind it. In other words, I accepted myself and my introverted tendencies. I didn’t fight them. Instead, I simply said, “This is who I am and it’s OK.”

Second, I gave myself permission to rest, rejuvenate, and re-energize. The key words here are, “….gave myself permission.” It can be easy when mental fatigue is high to succumb to the inner chatter that says, “You must keep going” or “Come on, it’s not that bad, be strong.”

And lastly, when worry thoughts haunted my mind, I ask myself one question. “Do I have everything I need today?” (Emphasis on, TODAY). When the answer was an obvious yes, I affirmed my trust in God for tomorrow.

It was a busy, productive, and extremely gratifying couple of weeks. It was also mentally exhausting.

I’m grateful I was able to give myself grace on a Friday when my body and mind said, rest. And, to do the same on Saturday and Sunday.

Then Monday arrived.

And I was ready.