Things That Freak Introverts Out

When I'm passively listening to a conversation between others, and enjoying myself, I get freaked out if I'm unexpectedly asked for my opinion.

My reaction is mostly verbal fumbling until somehow my brain starts producing a language version of my thoughts.

Attending get togethers with people that don't know me. Inherently a conversation begins from someone somewhere that I dont look happy and then it spreads. Eventually someone is chosen to ask me why I am not enjoying myself. The fact I am even there should speak volumes. I don't go to these things often anyway.

"I am neither happy not sad." If you'd like to help me, apply more alcohol. Then you can become uncomfortable with how outgoing I become and start arguing with you about whether you actually exist and how you know for sure.

I get impatient on phone calls especially if the other person wants a long conversation. Prefer speaking one-on-one anyday.

I am about to move address, having finally sold this house. My extrovert ex is giving me a lot of advice on how to decorate my next place. This is "unsolicited" and unwanted advice. I have told her i will resolve that myself, but it just highlights to me extrovert/introvert differences. How much she is driven by the outer world, whilst mine are more about my inner life/thoughts.

The place I am looking at now, seems to have a reasonable garden. She is all "oh you could paint this". I am not going to paint anything. I am going to find a good place to put a telescope. And I want to get a decent one. If she could stop her extrovert chatter for one minute and "listen" she might realize, we're separating and I am going to do what I want. Not what she thinks I should do.

I don't want to generalize about extroverts, but introverts are different, not "broken". When we are quiet, we are thinking or relaxing or whatever. I hate the, if you are "not talking" something is wrong response. I find it wearing. Just urg.. lol

Anyone else get it? Especially when there's an expectation to perform attached????

When you're forced to go to a party and you're kinda hungry but there's like five people you don't want to talk to hovering around the snack table so you just starve the entire night.

This is probably more shyness or anxiety, but looking down a hall at work and seeing quite a few people standing around, and making a u-turn in the other direction where there are fewer people.

Gale said:

This is probably more shyness or anxiety, but looking down a hall at work and seeing quite a few people standing around, and making a u-turn in the other direction where there are fewer people.

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Haha I've totally done the "pretend I'm just hanging out in this spot right now so I don't have to walk by these people" trick.

sprinkles said:

When you're forced to go to a party and you're kinda hungry but there's like five people you don't want to talk to hovering around the snack table so you just starve the entire night.

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Omg, I'm always hungry and there's always a bunch of people "snack blocking" me !

excellent post @sprinkles

MEETINGS... Office meetings with new clients, when it starts, I'm want to be like:



But it doesn't usually work out, so have to participate in the meeting, which is usually about the business and problems of the other person and after that, it usually is the tea session, where I am 'supposed' to get to know the person better, you know to build the rapport with the new clients. Which means talking personal things and getting to know the client and talking politics, current events and blah blah blah.. After the meeting I'm mostly like:

SeanSquared said:

Anyone else get it? Especially when there's an expectation to perform attached????

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Oh hell yes, and by yes I mean hell no...

Meeting new people and saying goodbyes. (I opt for the ones in the best of Irish traditions)

People saying nice things about me. (Can't stand it. Feckoff)

Professor Snep said:

People saying nice things about me. (Can't stand it. Feckoff)

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lolol @ "feckoff"
Compliments made in front of other people make me extremely uncomfortable. Compliments 1:1 are nice. A lady I work with did this to me in a meeting last week and the whole time I kept thinking silently to myself (while smiling awkwardly) please-stop-please-stop! I prefer to stick behind the scenes. Don't want attention drawn to me.

I hate posing for pictures and being in pictures.

acd said:

I hate posing for pictures and being in pictures.

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I can relate to this more than anything. I have a really small collection of my own pics. And when the selfie fever came along, I don't know how I survived that.. XD

Archer said:

I can relate to this more than anything. I have a really small collection of my own pics. And when the selfie fever came along, I don't know how I survived that.. XD

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The exception is that I do try to take pictures of myself and my bf with our son, because I want my son to have those pictures when he gets older. Under any other circumstances, I just feel awkward about it.

I strongly dislike it when people are assuming. I mean this as a trait that would be described in my vocabulary as "having the tendency to interpret reality based on arbitrary assumptions that one considers absolutely true, despite a lack of sufficient evidence or even in the face of blatant proof that these assumptions are nothing but crap floating in cognitive vacuum".

Assumption is at the core of everything that would make me scream people's tympana away, if I weren't into meditation, letting go, moving forward being alien and so on and so forth. It's related to introversion because assumptions tend to fill the social void that surrounds me, but, also, because introversion makes me value observation very much, and when people assume, they come out as sloppy observers. Many of these things have been already pointed out in this thread, but just to make an exemplifying list:
Why do you assume I need your advice? I don't, that's why I didn't ask for it.
Why do you assume it is ok to besiege the food? It is not, take what you need and leave: we have living rooms: social spaces for people who want to socialize. Kitchens are for the ones who hide their unsociability behind a passion for cooking and/or like food more than they like people.
Why do you assume that my silence means I desperately want to talk with you? ...?
Why do you assume you know me and psychiatry well enough to "cure me" with a mixture of platitudes aimed at what is not even really something related to my mental issues but rather to my character?

I also dislike being in pictures, unless I'm in the mood for silly pictures. I like silly pictures.
Something that makes me murderous: disrespect of personal space.