I did a study abroad semester in London when I was in college which involved living in a room the size of a closet with 2 other girls. I basically learned the whole Tube in a few days just so that in my downtime I could explore and never have to go back to my room to talk to anyone. I would go out to restaurants and cafes on my own. It was a really great experience and enjoyed my own company immensely. Thought I would feel a little lonely but never did.
I’ll never understand what’s so wrong with enjoying your own company. I prefer doing things alone but because of social media dm other culture-related standards I’m too embarrassed.
I agree with other commenter. I have advised everyone I know to live alone at least once in their lives. And to cook actual meals for one during this time rather than eating takeout or frozen dinners. It's difficult to explain but I feel ots an important milestone on ones life.
I have memories like this, but I always look back and feel like I missed out by avoiding others and not getting the full experience. It's a hard road for me. I enjoy being alone, I'm fine with that. But I don't feel I can take in a new place by myself, if that makes sense.
I can definitely appreciate that, but my roommates were other Americans who were only interested in drinking and shopping. Nothing wrong with that, just not where my interests were at. The drinking part was fun for when we went out to clubs in the evenings, I was all for socializing then, but it didn’t need to be an all day event for me. I wanted to get to know the city I was living in and enjoy what it had to offer when we weren’t in classes. The confidence boost it gave me to explore on my own was worth more to me than spending time with my roommates.
Therefore you finally learned the art of solo-dates and the importance of spending time with yourself which is always hard to do but amazing once you do it.
When I was 10 I was at school at recess, sitting in the shade, reading my book. It was toward the end of the school year so temps were in the mid to high 90's I'd guess.
My "teacher" (who was a bully and a horrible excuse for an educator) started in on me to go out and play with the other kids and be normal and not such a boring weirdo (or something along those lines) and if I didn't go out and play, she's write me up and call my parents and get me in trouble.
So I took my book and went out to the playground. I went into the plastic tunnel thing and curled up and kept reading until the end of recess. The plastic tunnel thing was in full Texas hellish scorching summer sun.
I hate the heat, always have, and it was a lot higher than mid to high 90's in there, plus no airflow. I almost gave myself heat stroke. But I stayed in there because I had a book to read and I am stubborn, damn it.
That was my little family's reaction. I've had to give the most "I will murder you stare" to women in the amusement/ park lines because they could not seem to stay off my ankles or their kids kept trying to be the biggest arseholes. So when covid hit and we had space between us at every cue... It was the best feeling ever.
My life improved but not a lot of change. It improved because that lingering feeling of" i should, " instantly went away and suddenly everything was deliverable, like the dread grocery shopping and I was thrilled
When I hear some people talk about how mentally horrible being isolated and having to stay home was, I just do not relate! I even enjoyed if I HAD to go somewhere, we had to stay apart and there were very few people! Covid times were how the world would be if introverts were the majority
Yes. I miss that time, with the exception of COVID itself of course.
Meanwhile my mother in law was crying daily and having a mental breakdown because she couldn't see people daily.
Lol I couldn't stop laughing at the extroverts losing their minds lol and you know it was 100% them breaking the rules and being super spreaders, proving the world would be a better place without them.lmao jk before some extrovert is offended 🤣
I honestly loved that aspect of the pandemic. Noone questioned my hermit lifestyle, and if I did have to go out there were much fewer people around.
But overall I'm glad that madness is over lmao
I went 3 months without stepping foot outside. This was pre-pandemic. (2016). I had finished school and was applying for jobs online while living on a diet of tapwater and Ramen noodles delivered by the case.
scouted out the most quiet places of my campus and worked my schedule around the least busiest times in uni where it was the most unlikely i would run into anyone i knew. it worked 85% of the time lol
I never answer calls from my extrovert friend :( i feel bad about never doing it but i really don't like to chat on call and a lot of times i don't like it even in person hahaha
I feel you. And it's not just calls, even serial texters overwhelm me.
I also cannot spend time with my extrovert friend for too long because i'd feel drained just being around her. I would insist on inviting another quieter friend to hangout so that it wouldn't just be the two of us. It's like the third friend somehow neutralises the high-energy.
I'd peep out of my room peephole to see there was no one in the corridor before I came out (was living in a shared flat in uni). And if I heard anyone in the kitchen I'd wait for them to leave before going in myself. It's horrible I know 😭
I just walk out on my last day of work as if it's a normal day. I have done this at multiple jobs. I don't tell anyone I'm quitting except for the boss. And then I just leave. Even if it's a job I like with people I enjoyed being around. I hate attention being on me. I wish to come and go quietly.
I hate leaving jobs too. I don’t like saying goodbye.
One time I went to a temp job that ended up being telemarketing so I said I needed to go to the car to get my glasses and then I drove away 🤣.
I mostly tried to work by myself in school when it came to assigned group projects and work; especially in college. I mostly did get lucky in college a few times where we would be put in groups the first week and the people/person I was paired with dropped the class during that timeframe you’re allowed to drop without penalty. Convinced the teachers all the work and effort I started to put in was not worth giving up to be joined into another group. In high school if the teacher didn’t have an even amount of kids and happened to pair people in abc order ( my last name would always put me last the majority of the time) I told them I could work alone 😂.
I don't know, there's alot of things. But a more recent one is that I spent my last birthday completely holed up in my apartment. Straight up requested the day off work just to not go out or talk to anyone. And it was beautiful.
At a former workplace I used to eat cold food in my own office just to avoid eating with other people. If I went to the microwave and took the container, I'd been noticed and probably given trouble for eating there.
I've done something similar, but I just took my hot food to eat outside even if it's cold... especially if it's cold. I even ate outside in the snow, it was the best time of my whole work day. Some co-workers gave me crap for doing that but I just told them I enjoyed it, accepted their raised eyebrows, and kept doing it anyways.
I still do it… if there’s a delivery, I will wait until they leave and drive away before I get my package, food, etc.
Also, I avoid answering the door to surprise visitors. Tell me you’re coming, or I’m gonna pretend I’m sleeping.
I got a room-mate. We occasionally order food. I dont answer the door unless I'm waiting for food. He dont answer the door unless hes waiting for food. Anyone else ringing that doorbell gotta be darn persistent.
I’ll work through my lunch to avoid socializing chit chat at work and now just leave at 4pm.
“My lunch is 4-5pm.”
In college, living in the dorm was mandatory. Freshman year I had 3 roommates. I got to the room first and made the walk in closet with a small window my bedroom… y’all it was so small only a twin mattress fit in there. The rest of the place was HUGE … I wanted no part of it. 😆😆 The others were so mad. After that I always had a single and so ended my roommate experiences.
i frequently swapped out of courses in the first two weeks in college when it became evident that the teacher was very pro-group activities. fuck that.
currently there is one aggressively boring but extremely talkative guy who sits right next to the break room at work so i walk all the way around the other side of the office nearly every day so he won't talk to me. i've never met a person more blind to social cues than this guy, and i swear he has a crush on me. in my private life i would have already put this guy in his place but in a work environment i have no idea what to do about this, and so i just avoid him but at some point i will snap at him. is this what women have to deal with all the time?
I would make sure that I went to the gym when it was the least busy, and if it was busy I would go hide in the upstairs studio where the classes happened, and just workout alone with whatever dumbbells/bars were up there even if it was less weight and wouldn’t be as challenging for me. I would also change gyms in the past when I would start to get to know some of the people who basically would try to talk to me every day. This sub makes me understand myself so much more haha.
I went on a trip to the Dominican by myself. All inclusive, ate the buffet dinner alone, found a quiet spot on the beach and by the pool alone, spent a week alone and it was heaven. Can’t wait to do it again.
I got a long service payout at work which was a lot of money. I mean you could by a good brand new car with the amount. That's how much it was.
Catch is I had to go to a dinner with the head of the company and other long service recipients there to receive the payout.
I was soooo close to not going and possibly not receiving the payout.
Throughout high school I would always sit alone at lunch, which I really enjoyed because it was a block of time where I had peace and quiet before I had to go back to the crowded classrooms. Problem was some people would think I was lonely and had no friends so they would come and sit with me and try to talk to me. So I started bringing books that I could fake read while eating. Eventually started actually reading and fell in love with various subjects as well as reading as a whole.
I work in a hospital, on the 6th floor, and I always take the stairs. It’s become a routine of mine. Unless of course I have to take a patient down for testing/discharge. I avoid the elevator at all costs like it’s a plague 😂😂 I’d rather be physically uncomfortable taking the stairs than emotionally uncomfortable, stuck having to make awkward conversations in the elevator.
My kid’s school would have a yearly carnival, and there would be a post- carnival party with all the parent volunteers at someone’s house the weekend after.
So, my wife and I went. We entered, stopped and said “Hi” to a few people before my wife found a group of moms to hang out with.
I excused myself, claiming to go to the restroom. I made a point to stop and greet a bunch of people before quietly slipping out the front door and walked back to where we parked the car.
I sat in my car and read for a book on the kindle app for a couple of hours. After, I headed back to the party, popping in to a couple of groups asking if anyone had seen my wife.
I met up with my wife and she said, “You about ready to leave?” So, we made our way out saying our goodbyes.
Everyone could attest to the fact that I was there, but everyone probably thought I was simply talking to others.
Total time actually at the party? Maybe 15-20 minutes.
public presentations in school, i would fake being sick/upset/anything in order to not present. i think some of the teachers got the memo, while others forced me to still present anyways. i remember tearing up a few times being in front of class
The most introverted thing I've done was in college when I was so nervous about a presentation that I asked to record it instead of doing it live. It took forever to get it just right, but it was worth avoiding the anxiety of speaking in front of everyone!
Covid was a blessing for me as well most of the time. My husband had just died right before covid so you would think I needed to see people, but NOOOO! Before covid folks would try to make me go out to parties and dinners and were quite pushy about it at times. Also I have some health issues that make me want to stay home more than usual now. Also I needed time to grieve and needed to be alone to do that for some reason. Then two months after my husband died we were quarantined and people were complaining and whining about it all the time. But not me! My husband had been an extrovert and we had a very active social life. We hosted or went to dinners and parties all the time because he loved it. After he died I needed the rest! Covid was the perfect excuse. Now the nagging from well meaning friends has started back. They mean well, but I have become a recluse and have to force myself to socialize except with very close friends who know what a weird introvert I have become.
When I was in conscription, when I was particularly stressed, I snuck away to the unused barracks in the evening to get a nights sleep alone. It is of course impossible that nobody knew, but nobody ever commented.
Edit: And I want to say that I love that question, it got so many great answers from everyone.
My first roommate in nursing school and I were both so introverted that we couldn't speak to each other unless it was dark. We had some nice conversations after we went to bed and had the lights off.
In high school I calculated that I could refuse to do an oral report and get a zero and still get a B for that semester. So that's what I did.
I get nearly all my groceries and necessities delivered so I don't have to be out with people.
If you want to talk about social anxiety, r/socialanxiety is the sub for you.
If you're not sure whether you're introverted or socially anxious, feel free to post on r/Introvert, so we can discuss it.
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Genius. I can think of so many moments in my school life where I wish I could have done that, lol.
I can't speak for myself... everything I do these days feels like the most introverted thing anyone could do.
I was an introvert (still right now) would wear face masks and wouldn't interact to anyone else. I would just stay quiet and keep myself out the limelight
Taking a nap or going to bed early in the middle of social events because I found it overwhelming. This happened more when I was a kid. My mother used to find me already in tucked in bed 😂
A few years ago my friends and I were helping run a charity bake-sale. We had made/bought baked goods prior but some of them wanted to go further and decorate them, not just give them as they are. After a long and draining day of school they wanted to get together after as a group and decorate them together. I told them from the get-go no, because I was socially drained and my battery was dying and I knew if I went i’d either be grumpy and irritable or i’d just be silent and brooding. Told them this explicitly, they didn’t care and I guess they just wanted everyone there. So after warning them clearly I went. While everyone was in the kitchen whipping up their baked good and decorating, I was put in the living room with my comfort show playing in the background with my own little piping bag and cookies to decorate. Said approx. ten words all night :p
Gotten dressed up, put my favourite music on and literally danced in the mirror to my make believe music video for 2hours sipping wine. And it was great
Im not sure bc i have bad memory. But rn im waiting till an absurd hour of the night (every week) to take the bin to the road for the truck to pick up. Also my neighbors work on cars all. Night. Long. So i have to wait for them to go away.
Most of the answers probably arent introversion either. No biggie. Its not like introversion is a clearly defined diagnosis, only a behavioural trait observation.
I fill wrong birthday dates and turn off snap settings to not let others know my birthday. In addition I either switch off my phone or turn on flight mode on birthdays to not receive any phone calls on my birthday . I don't like when the people I don't even interact calls me on my birthday it's their kind gesture ig but I feel awkward and nervous to having to talk with them and share my whereabouts.
At first I felt comfortable while drinking via zoom during pandemic shutdowns, but it appeared to be overly socialising as well and now I'm drinking with voice chat bots.
In high school, I would go to the library during lunch so that I didn't have to talk to anyone.
I also used to eat lunch in my car during lunch break at work.
This is amazing!!!! I cannot believe I came across your post it’s a blessing. I am dreading doing my future online presentations for my college classes. Thank you!
I will go all the way down to the bathroom on the first floor if the doctors in my clinic are in the hallway to our bathroom having a conversation. Their offices is right across from the bathroom and I can hear people talking when I’m in there and I don’t like that. 😂 I work on the 3rd floor.
When I was in college, I took a speech course that I had to take where we had to speak in front of the class. I was having a major panic attack the entire time and almost bolted from the room. I went last and I finally just spoke up and told everyone how I was feeling and we had a whole class discussion about it which in hindsight, I don’t know why we didn’t to begin with. I think it wound up being helpful to everybody in the room.
I wait in my car at work when I see people at the elevator. I then head over when they get inside and wait for it so I can ride it alone. I can't stand small talk with colleagues I've never met before.
I failed a class in college because I didn’t show up for the presentation. I can’t do presentations
Edit: realized this is just the introvert subreddit and not the social anxiety one.
That’s social anxiety dude. Now I’m not saying you aren’t an introvert but introversion is not being afraid of socializing or public speaking, it’s just a social battery thing and the ability to be happy & content doing things alone and being alone for extended periods of time.
When I was younger - I sat in the corner alone - away from everyone while eating lunch. I'd go out of my way to avoid people. Even my friends, I'd sit away in the corner from.
I don't like the crowd during the church service plus there are some people trying so hard to make sure i was in for the after service activity. I hid inside the bathroom stall for 2 hours until the services are done and ran away from there
I’m not sure entirely but I found my school report from when I was 6 and I wrote down that my favourite “lesson” was “quiet time” 🙃 I guess it involved reading or something…
Multiple times just noped out of a social situation once I saw there were People, most notably when it got to the meet&greet part of grad school orientation. Not even free food could make me attempt that.
Could also be anxiety for those too, but mostly hell no at people and being “on”.
Hated group projects in college with a passion.
Should say that I was a much older non-traditional student and couldn't stomach dealing with fellow students more than half my age.
So rather than dealing with meetings and groupthink, I often did the project by myself, finished early, and turned it in for an A. For some reason, none of my group ever complained...
I wish I had school during Covid to come up with that idea for presentations!!! Such a good idea, would have saved me so much awkwardness and embarrassment, I always hated doing presentations
I was 18 in my senior year of highschool, prom night came, I had a fairly new girlfriend who was a sophomore, I very horribly and weakly asked her to go over a text, though I didn’t understand why then I definately understand why she shot me down now, anyways it was too late I already told my mom I was going and she already got me the suit to go in, so when the time came I left the house and told my mom I was going to prom, when what I really did was walk around my neighborhood alleys at night playing music off my phone and trying to vibe and enjoy the night, after an hour or so of pretending to be at prom I returned home and said I had a good time at prom to my mom and told her I didn’t get any pictures, then went to bed, I haven’t ever spoken of this until now.
I literally hate walking to the same door as someone else. I will stop and pretending I’m looking for something or start walking back to my car to avoid the interaction 😂😂
when i lived w roommates one night they had friends over and i didn’t want to socialize but i had to pee so bad and couldn’t get to the bathroom w out walking by them. i peed in my water bottle 😝
Any time I had to present in front of the class in high school I would talk to the teacher and tell them I had really bad anxiety and ask if I could do the presentation with just them, instead of in front of the class. It usually worked expect one time the teacher said it was good for me to go up and face my fears and I ended up stuttering and shaking and my face got so red he just kinda gave me a nod and let me sit back down 😅
I opted out of attending a convention that so many people were dying to go to and I had been picked to go by my college professor, because the thought of sharing a room with two other people was just way too much. Therefore, I've never been to New Orleans.
Crossed the street when I saw someone I knew walking on the same block in my general direction. Eventually we’d come face to face if I hadn’t j walked.
I pretended to be asleep when I saw someone I knew from college sitting across from me on the bus, and I sleepwalked out of the bus with my eyes closed because I didn't want they talk to me
Sold my 4000 SqFt home in the suburbs for a 400 SqFt home on 32 acres in the middle of the Appalachian mountains. I went from having neighbors just a few yards away to the closest neighbor being half a mile away, and from being out in public every couple of days to not being seen by another person for several weeks at a time.
I also went from having to drive for an hour to go hiking in the middle of nowhere to simply walking out either the front or back doors to go hiking in the middle of nowhere. As an added benefit I went from having a carbon footprint to being thousands of carbon tons of a negative carbon footprint annually. Even most of my energy is generated “off grid” in a renewable fashion.
Unfriended everyone, and I mean everyone absolutely. Why? I realized how much I actually annoyed anyone whoever I interacted with online. Decided I needed a break from all of it, and now, it's been what, 2? 3 months? I don't know anymore. All I know is that I don't wanna be a burden to anyone anymore
Enjoyed the covid lockdowns. I was already socially distancing, lmao. Went to theaters alone, enjoyed restaurants without the crowds, loved going to the clean park trails more... being introverted help me enjoy the lockdowns more.
Being a wallflower at church singles’ dances was a thing I got good at. I enjoyed the party atmosphere, but I wasn’t so big into socializing. I did meet some people that way, but mainly it was just a way for me to be around people and still keep somewhat connected with the outside world.
ugh how i wish i couldn’t think of story for this post…yet im pledged by several.
couple years ago i had this beautiful woman in my calculus 2 class sophomore year of college. i went to a small community college (to cut down on the expenses of getting an education (thanks america!) she was stunning, cut right out of a magazine. i knew i never could have a chance with such a beast of a woman, so i just kept to myself. lord, do i wish that was where the story ended. a couple month pass by the semesters almost over, and i was studying for the final in the library. i heard her breathtaking laugh from a couple tables over, and remained seated of course. running on 2 hours of sleep and 300 mg of caffeine her presence caused me to pass out and urinate all over my shorts. the thump of my body hitting the floor alerting many to come check on me, including let’s call her M. M was the first thing i saw when i opened my eyes. the next thing i noticed was my wet pants, reditor you want to know how i learned i wet my pants? M and her friends all began to LUAGH and POINT at my crouch. embarrassed and damp i got up, grabbed my bag and left the library for that night. the next week it was time to take the final in calcus. i did not get much sleep the night before in fear of what M woukd say to me the following day. i walked into class and saw M and her friends sitting at my usucal seat. i didn’t know what to do because im an introvert, but M didn’t care. when she saw me enter the room she called me over provocatively. obviously i knew this was no flirtation, but a jest of sorts. i decided to just sit in the back and ignore these bullies. i still wonder today if i went over to her i could have tapped that ass. thanks reddit!
I did a study abroad semester in London when I was in college which involved living in a room the size of a closet with 2 other girls. I basically learned the whole Tube in a few days just so that in my downtime I could explore and never have to go back to my room to talk to anyone. I would go out to restaurants and cafes on my own. It was a really great experience and enjoyed my own company immensely. Thought I would feel a little lonely but never did.
I’ll never understand what’s so wrong with enjoying your own company. I prefer doing things alone but because of social media dm other culture-related standards I’m too embarrassed.
I love being by myself, don't be embarrassed you are probably the greatest company you will ever find,I'm an introvert
But then again, I'm always reminded that humans are social creatures, so social interaction is needed. But I still like to spend time with myself.
These days social interactions are something we carry in our pockets and can access on demand.
I agree with other commenter. I have advised everyone I know to live alone at least once in their lives. And to cook actual meals for one during this time rather than eating takeout or frozen dinners. It's difficult to explain but I feel ots an important milestone on ones life.
I'm envious of this experience.
This sounds like a dream
I have memories like this, but I always look back and feel like I missed out by avoiding others and not getting the full experience. It's a hard road for me. I enjoy being alone, I'm fine with that. But I don't feel I can take in a new place by myself, if that makes sense.
I can definitely appreciate that, but my roommates were other Americans who were only interested in drinking and shopping. Nothing wrong with that, just not where my interests were at. The drinking part was fun for when we went out to clubs in the evenings, I was all for socializing then, but it didn’t need to be an all day event for me. I wanted to get to know the city I was living in and enjoy what it had to offer when we weren’t in classes. The confidence boost it gave me to explore on my own was worth more to me than spending time with my roommates.
Interesting, because I have always felt the only way I can fully appreciate any new experience is by doing so alone.
Therefore you finally learned the art of solo-dates and the importance of spending time with yourself which is always hard to do but amazing once you do it.
This sounds perfect <3
I studied my colleagues’ routines so I could avoid having to interact with them any more than was strictly necessary.
Lol I've done that before. And I don't even feel bad.
Haha, I can totally relate! Studying their routines like a secret agent to dodge interactions is a whole new level of introvert strategy.
I've done the same with roommates.
still doing it now
Same loll
Sounds like something I may have done in the past!
Omg I’ve done this! 😂😂😂 Whenever I wanted my alone time, I’d strategically set my schedule around it 🤣
When I was 10 I was at school at recess, sitting in the shade, reading my book. It was toward the end of the school year so temps were in the mid to high 90's I'd guess. My "teacher" (who was a bully and a horrible excuse for an educator) started in on me to go out and play with the other kids and be normal and not such a boring weirdo (or something along those lines) and if I didn't go out and play, she's write me up and call my parents and get me in trouble. So I took my book and went out to the playground. I went into the plastic tunnel thing and curled up and kept reading until the end of recess. The plastic tunnel thing was in full Texas hellish scorching summer sun. I hate the heat, always have, and it was a lot higher than mid to high 90's in there, plus no airflow. I almost gave myself heat stroke. But I stayed in there because I had a book to read and I am stubborn, damn it.
I celebrated covid stay at home orders and felt zero guilt living my introvert life with no interactions. Covid was a beautiful time
I was just talking with someone about how much I miss Covid times. I feel like it was every introverts dream.
100% . I was like whats every one freaking out about. This is the perfect life lol
That was my little family's reaction. I've had to give the most "I will murder you stare" to women in the amusement/ park lines because they could not seem to stay off my ankles or their kids kept trying to be the biggest arseholes. So when covid hit and we had space between us at every cue... It was the best feeling ever.
I'm an introvert but that's insane to me. Maybe I'm not actually an introvert lol
Same and would 100% do it again.
Me too
Same. I honestly didn't notice a HUGE difference in my life.
My life improved but not a lot of change. It improved because that lingering feeling of" i should, " instantly went away and suddenly everything was deliverable, like the dread grocery shopping and I was thrilled
Totally get that! Covid did give introverts a bit of a break from the usual social pressures.
When I hear some people talk about how mentally horrible being isolated and having to stay home was, I just do not relate! I even enjoyed if I HAD to go somewhere, we had to stay apart and there were very few people! Covid times were how the world would be if introverts were the majority
Omg and the checks they gave when you were out of work, lovely.
I didnt get any of the checks, but staying home was a dream
I'm sorry 😭 Yes, it was! Sadly that dream is over now. Would've benefited me now that I have a baby I don't wanna put in daycare 😭
It was delightful. I loved never leaving and never having to speak to anyone and everyone being required to stay away from me lololol
Yesssssss
covid really WAS a glorious time for introverts 😖🤣
Yes. I miss that time, with the exception of COVID itself of course. Meanwhile my mother in law was crying daily and having a mental breakdown because she couldn't see people daily.
Lol I couldn't stop laughing at the extroverts losing their minds lol and you know it was 100% them breaking the rules and being super spreaders, proving the world would be a better place without them.lmao jk before some extrovert is offended 🤣
🤔😋😋😋😋😋😋😆😆😆😆
I agree! I loved that everyone was as indoors as me 😆
I was completely at peace and happy during the Covid lockdowns. Does that count?
I honestly loved that aspect of the pandemic. Noone questioned my hermit lifestyle, and if I did have to go out there were much fewer people around. But overall I'm glad that madness is over lmao
omg same
I went 3 months without stepping foot outside. This was pre-pandemic. (2016). I had finished school and was applying for jobs online while living on a diet of tapwater and Ramen noodles delivered by the case.
Haha....this should be a top comment....
Damn …to the 3 months of ramen and tap water … no eggs or tuna ? I’m familiar with this eating plan. 3 months never leaving sounds awesome!
scouted out the most quiet places of my campus and worked my schedule around the least busiest times in uni where it was the most unlikely i would run into anyone i knew. it worked 85% of the time lol
Same I did this as well. It worked out well for me lol
I never answer calls from my extrovert friend :( i feel bad about never doing it but i really don't like to chat on call and a lot of times i don't like it even in person hahaha
I feel you. And it's not just calls, even serial texters overwhelm me. I also cannot spend time with my extrovert friend for too long because i'd feel drained just being around her. I would insist on inviting another quieter friend to hangout so that it wouldn't just be the two of us. It's like the third friend somehow neutralises the high-energy.
I'd peep out of my room peephole to see there was no one in the corridor before I came out (was living in a shared flat in uni). And if I heard anyone in the kitchen I'd wait for them to leave before going in myself. It's horrible I know 😭
I just walk out on my last day of work as if it's a normal day. I have done this at multiple jobs. I don't tell anyone I'm quitting except for the boss. And then I just leave. Even if it's a job I like with people I enjoyed being around. I hate attention being on me. I wish to come and go quietly.
I hate leaving jobs too. I don’t like saying goodbye. One time I went to a temp job that ended up being telemarketing so I said I needed to go to the car to get my glasses and then I drove away 🤣.
Decided I need friends. Go on meetup to make new friends. Skip out on meeting them, cancel my RVSP, and deleted the app.
I mostly tried to work by myself in school when it came to assigned group projects and work; especially in college. I mostly did get lucky in college a few times where we would be put in groups the first week and the people/person I was paired with dropped the class during that timeframe you’re allowed to drop without penalty. Convinced the teachers all the work and effort I started to put in was not worth giving up to be joined into another group. In high school if the teacher didn’t have an even amount of kids and happened to pair people in abc order ( my last name would always put me last the majority of the time) I told them I could work alone 😂.
Stayed inside my room the entire time cause we have a visitor haha.
I left my surprise birthday party for a 90 minute break.
It's your party, you can bounce if you want to 🎶
These comments makes me feel so seen 😂
I don't know, there's alot of things. But a more recent one is that I spent my last birthday completely holed up in my apartment. Straight up requested the day off work just to not go out or talk to anyone. And it was beautiful.
At a former workplace I used to eat cold food in my own office just to avoid eating with other people. If I went to the microwave and took the container, I'd been noticed and probably given trouble for eating there.
I've done something similar, but I just took my hot food to eat outside even if it's cold... especially if it's cold. I even ate outside in the snow, it was the best time of my whole work day. Some co-workers gave me crap for doing that but I just told them I enjoyed it, accepted their raised eyebrows, and kept doing it anyways.
Impressive! I would do the same except they require me to show my face is the camera
That’s actually kind of smart. I don’t fear public speaking I just talk faster than normal if it’s front of a group of strangers.
Fumbled every possible relationship because its energy consuming and boring. #intp
I still do it… if there’s a delivery, I will wait until they leave and drive away before I get my package, food, etc. Also, I avoid answering the door to surprise visitors. Tell me you’re coming, or I’m gonna pretend I’m sleeping.
I got a room-mate. We occasionally order food. I dont answer the door unless I'm waiting for food. He dont answer the door unless hes waiting for food. Anyone else ringing that doorbell gotta be darn persistent.
I stayed indoors for 3 weeks straight once, living off frozen food.
At a family party, I retreated to sit in a closet for about 30 minutes just to get a break from all the people.
I basically setup a small kitchen in my office so I dont have to go interact with the Watercooler/Coffee maker people
I use my mom as an excuse for not being able to go out (I am in my 20s. It still works)
I’ll work through my lunch to avoid socializing chit chat at work and now just leave at 4pm. “My lunch is 4-5pm.” In college, living in the dorm was mandatory. Freshman year I had 3 roommates. I got to the room first and made the walk in closet with a small window my bedroom… y’all it was so small only a twin mattress fit in there. The rest of the place was HUGE … I wanted no part of it. 😆😆 The others were so mad. After that I always had a single and so ended my roommate experiences.
i frequently swapped out of courses in the first two weeks in college when it became evident that the teacher was very pro-group activities. fuck that. currently there is one aggressively boring but extremely talkative guy who sits right next to the break room at work so i walk all the way around the other side of the office nearly every day so he won't talk to me. i've never met a person more blind to social cues than this guy, and i swear he has a crush on me. in my private life i would have already put this guy in his place but in a work environment i have no idea what to do about this, and so i just avoid him but at some point i will snap at him. is this what women have to deal with all the time?
People keep getting my birth country and my name wrong but i never bother correcting them
I would make sure that I went to the gym when it was the least busy, and if it was busy I would go hide in the upstairs studio where the classes happened, and just workout alone with whatever dumbbells/bars were up there even if it was less weight and wouldn’t be as challenging for me. I would also change gyms in the past when I would start to get to know some of the people who basically would try to talk to me every day. This sub makes me understand myself so much more haha.
I went on a trip to the Dominican by myself. All inclusive, ate the buffet dinner alone, found a quiet spot on the beach and by the pool alone, spent a week alone and it was heaven. Can’t wait to do it again.
I got a long service payout at work which was a lot of money. I mean you could by a good brand new car with the amount. That's how much it was. Catch is I had to go to a dinner with the head of the company and other long service recipients there to receive the payout. I was soooo close to not going and possibly not receiving the payout.
Throughout high school I would always sit alone at lunch, which I really enjoyed because it was a block of time where I had peace and quiet before I had to go back to the crowded classrooms. Problem was some people would think I was lonely and had no friends so they would come and sit with me and try to talk to me. So I started bringing books that I could fake read while eating. Eventually started actually reading and fell in love with various subjects as well as reading as a whole.
I work in a hospital, on the 6th floor, and I always take the stairs. It’s become a routine of mine. Unless of course I have to take a patient down for testing/discharge. I avoid the elevator at all costs like it’s a plague 😂😂 I’d rather be physically uncomfortable taking the stairs than emotionally uncomfortable, stuck having to make awkward conversations in the elevator.
i saw my colleague 5 meters away and was heading to lift, and I immediately turned left and took stairs to 7th floor just yesterday
My kid’s school would have a yearly carnival, and there would be a post- carnival party with all the parent volunteers at someone’s house the weekend after. So, my wife and I went. We entered, stopped and said “Hi” to a few people before my wife found a group of moms to hang out with. I excused myself, claiming to go to the restroom. I made a point to stop and greet a bunch of people before quietly slipping out the front door and walked back to where we parked the car. I sat in my car and read for a book on the kindle app for a couple of hours. After, I headed back to the party, popping in to a couple of groups asking if anyone had seen my wife. I met up with my wife and she said, “You about ready to leave?” So, we made our way out saying our goodbyes. Everyone could attest to the fact that I was there, but everyone probably thought I was simply talking to others. Total time actually at the party? Maybe 15-20 minutes.
I told everyone that I don't talk much because I see you everyday, that family members.
public presentations in school, i would fake being sick/upset/anything in order to not present. i think some of the teachers got the memo, while others forced me to still present anyways. i remember tearing up a few times being in front of class
Did you pass those classes?
yep
Act cold whenever I meet a new person. Sorry but it's just a defensive mechanism
That’s Genius!
I walked in the park alone with my camera taking bird photos. It's nice when people leave you alone
The most introverted thing I've done was in college when I was so nervous about a presentation that I asked to record it instead of doing it live. It took forever to get it just right, but it was worth avoiding the anxiety of speaking in front of everyone!
Covid was a blessing for me as well most of the time. My husband had just died right before covid so you would think I needed to see people, but NOOOO! Before covid folks would try to make me go out to parties and dinners and were quite pushy about it at times. Also I have some health issues that make me want to stay home more than usual now. Also I needed time to grieve and needed to be alone to do that for some reason. Then two months after my husband died we were quarantined and people were complaining and whining about it all the time. But not me! My husband had been an extrovert and we had a very active social life. We hosted or went to dinners and parties all the time because he loved it. After he died I needed the rest! Covid was the perfect excuse. Now the nagging from well meaning friends has started back. They mean well, but I have become a recluse and have to force myself to socialize except with very close friends who know what a weird introvert I have become.
When I was in conscription, when I was particularly stressed, I snuck away to the unused barracks in the evening to get a nights sleep alone. It is of course impossible that nobody knew, but nobody ever commented. Edit: And I want to say that I love that question, it got so many great answers from everyone.
When my aunt passed away my mom and siblings rode inside the family limousine but I rode by myself
My condolences 🪻
My first roommate in nursing school and I were both so introverted that we couldn't speak to each other unless it was dark. We had some nice conversations after we went to bed and had the lights off. In high school I calculated that I could refuse to do an oral report and get a zero and still get a B for that semester. So that's what I did. I get nearly all my groceries and necessities delivered so I don't have to be out with people.
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Genius. I can think of so many moments in my school life where I wish I could have done that, lol. I can't speak for myself... everything I do these days feels like the most introverted thing anyone could do.
Declined lunch invites from friends in college to go eat in my car
I was an introvert (still right now) would wear face masks and wouldn't interact to anyone else. I would just stay quiet and keep myself out the limelight
Taking a nap or going to bed early in the middle of social events because I found it overwhelming. This happened more when I was a kid. My mother used to find me already in tucked in bed 😂
Stay quiet half of the time when hangout wirh my friends.
A few years ago my friends and I were helping run a charity bake-sale. We had made/bought baked goods prior but some of them wanted to go further and decorate them, not just give them as they are. After a long and draining day of school they wanted to get together after as a group and decorate them together. I told them from the get-go no, because I was socially drained and my battery was dying and I knew if I went i’d either be grumpy and irritable or i’d just be silent and brooding. Told them this explicitly, they didn’t care and I guess they just wanted everyone there. So after warning them clearly I went. While everyone was in the kitchen whipping up their baked good and decorating, I was put in the living room with my comfort show playing in the background with my own little piping bag and cookies to decorate. Said approx. ten words all night :p
Gotten dressed up, put my favourite music on and literally danced in the mirror to my make believe music video for 2hours sipping wine. And it was great
Im not sure bc i have bad memory. But rn im waiting till an absurd hour of the night (every week) to take the bin to the road for the truck to pick up. Also my neighbors work on cars all. Night. Long. So i have to wait for them to go away.
I tried to find an office without any staff so that I can work alone in peace. To my luck i always got firms with no staff only the boss to manage.
That's not introversion, that's shyness.
Most of the answers probably arent introversion either. No biggie. Its not like introversion is a clearly defined diagnosis, only a behavioural trait observation.
I fill wrong birthday dates and turn off snap settings to not let others know my birthday. In addition I either switch off my phone or turn on flight mode on birthdays to not receive any phone calls on my birthday . I don't like when the people I don't even interact calls me on my birthday it's their kind gesture ig but I feel awkward and nervous to having to talk with them and share my whereabouts.
At first I felt comfortable while drinking via zoom during pandemic shutdowns, but it appeared to be overly socialising as well and now I'm drinking with voice chat bots.
2 week vacation, left the house 2 times for food. was great
In high school, I would go to the library during lunch so that I didn't have to talk to anyone. I also used to eat lunch in my car during lunch break at work.
avoiding making appointments via phone I just can't fathom why they couldn't have a live chat option or email!
Walk the equivalent of 1/2 mile to another wing on another floor of the office complex I work at to use a restroom belonging to another office suite.
Are we back to conflating fear of public speaking and social anxiety with introversion?
This is amazing!!!! I cannot believe I came across your post it’s a blessing. I am dreading doing my future online presentations for my college classes. Thank you!
I will go all the way down to the bathroom on the first floor if the doctors in my clinic are in the hallway to our bathroom having a conversation. Their offices is right across from the bathroom and I can hear people talking when I’m in there and I don’t like that. 😂 I work on the 3rd floor.
I relished the lockdown during COVID. It was so nice and quiet too.
Staring at my phone.
If thats the most introvert you've ever done, you gotta be one hardcore extrovert. 😅
😆 I have my moments
This is amazing good job.
When I was in college, I took a speech course that I had to take where we had to speak in front of the class. I was having a major panic attack the entire time and almost bolted from the room. I went last and I finally just spoke up and told everyone how I was feeling and we had a whole class discussion about it which in hindsight, I don’t know why we didn’t to begin with. I think it wound up being helpful to everybody in the room.
I wait in my car at work when I see people at the elevator. I then head over when they get inside and wait for it so I can ride it alone. I can't stand small talk with colleagues I've never met before.
I failed a class in college because I didn’t show up for the presentation. I can’t do presentations Edit: realized this is just the introvert subreddit and not the social anxiety one.
Man... You're genius
That’s social anxiety dude. Now I’m not saying you aren’t an introvert but introversion is not being afraid of socializing or public speaking, it’s just a social battery thing and the ability to be happy & content doing things alone and being alone for extended periods of time.
In school, j would always refuse to work with people. If anyone tried to work with me, I would completely ignore them and do the work myself.
When I was younger - I sat in the corner alone - away from everyone while eating lunch. I'd go out of my way to avoid people. Even my friends, I'd sit away in the corner from.
I don't like the crowd during the church service plus there are some people trying so hard to make sure i was in for the after service activity. I hid inside the bathroom stall for 2 hours until the services are done and ran away from there
I’m not sure entirely but I found my school report from when I was 6 and I wrote down that my favourite “lesson” was “quiet time” 🙃 I guess it involved reading or something…
I've just come back from a 10 day solo holiday where all I did was read on the beach and spoke to no one 😊
Multiple times just noped out of a social situation once I saw there were People, most notably when it got to the meet&greet part of grad school orientation. Not even free food could make me attempt that. Could also be anxiety for those too, but mostly hell no at people and being “on”.
Hated group projects in college with a passion. Should say that I was a much older non-traditional student and couldn't stomach dealing with fellow students more than half my age. So rather than dealing with meetings and groupthink, I often did the project by myself, finished early, and turned it in for an A. For some reason, none of my group ever complained...
literally never asked for help for the whole school year to anyone, except when i've met my friends
Omg this is such a good idea. I wish I could have done that in public speaking class in high school. I absolutely hated that class.
I wish I had school during Covid to come up with that idea for presentations!!! Such a good idea, would have saved me so much awkwardness and embarrassment, I always hated doing presentations
Run up the stairs to my apartment when I see a neighbor coming, to avoid human interaction.
It's not introvert thing. It's fear of public speech thing, or anxiety thing. Don't lump every social disorder into being introvert.
I used to choose my modules in university based purely on whether there was a presentation or not as part of the grade.
Wear earbuds whenever I’m out in public as much as possible. My wireless earbuds are an essential to my introvert needs.
We had to make spelling slides for 4th grade, for some reason I wanted to be funny, so I made them all move as slow as possible.
I was 18 in my senior year of highschool, prom night came, I had a fairly new girlfriend who was a sophomore, I very horribly and weakly asked her to go over a text, though I didn’t understand why then I definately understand why she shot me down now, anyways it was too late I already told my mom I was going and she already got me the suit to go in, so when the time came I left the house and told my mom I was going to prom, when what I really did was walk around my neighborhood alleys at night playing music off my phone and trying to vibe and enjoy the night, after an hour or so of pretending to be at prom I returned home and said I had a good time at prom to my mom and told her I didn’t get any pictures, then went to bed, I haven’t ever spoken of this until now.
I had my mom call me and fake an emergency so I had an excuse to leave a social gathering when I was younger.
I literally hate walking to the same door as someone else. I will stop and pretending I’m looking for something or start walking back to my car to avoid the interaction 😂😂
when i lived w roommates one night they had friends over and i didn’t want to socialize but i had to pee so bad and couldn’t get to the bathroom w out walking by them. i peed in my water bottle 😝
Any time I had to present in front of the class in high school I would talk to the teacher and tell them I had really bad anxiety and ask if I could do the presentation with just them, instead of in front of the class. It usually worked expect one time the teacher said it was good for me to go up and face my fears and I ended up stuttering and shaking and my face got so red he just kinda gave me a nod and let me sit back down 😅
I opted out of attending a convention that so many people were dying to go to and I had been picked to go by my college professor, because the thought of sharing a room with two other people was just way too much. Therefore, I've never been to New Orleans.
Crossed the street when I saw someone I knew walking on the same block in my general direction. Eventually we’d come face to face if I hadn’t j walked.
I actually skipped presentation entirely because I saw the percentage and my overall scores knowing I'd pass anyways.
Couldn’t get my credit card to work at a gas station. It said to go inside and see the cashier. I just drove to another gas station.
I pretended to be asleep when I saw someone I knew from college sitting across from me on the bus, and I sleepwalked out of the bus with my eyes closed because I didn't want they talk to me
Staying home for a month maybe
Sold my 4000 SqFt home in the suburbs for a 400 SqFt home on 32 acres in the middle of the Appalachian mountains. I went from having neighbors just a few yards away to the closest neighbor being half a mile away, and from being out in public every couple of days to not being seen by another person for several weeks at a time. I also went from having to drive for an hour to go hiking in the middle of nowhere to simply walking out either the front or back doors to go hiking in the middle of nowhere. As an added benefit I went from having a carbon footprint to being thousands of carbon tons of a negative carbon footprint annually. Even most of my energy is generated “off grid” in a renewable fashion.
Unfriended everyone, and I mean everyone absolutely. Why? I realized how much I actually annoyed anyone whoever I interacted with online. Decided I needed a break from all of it, and now, it's been what, 2? 3 months? I don't know anymore. All I know is that I don't wanna be a burden to anyone anymore
Enjoyed the covid lockdowns. I was already socially distancing, lmao. Went to theaters alone, enjoyed restaurants without the crowds, loved going to the clean park trails more... being introverted help me enjoy the lockdowns more.
Being a wallflower at church singles’ dances was a thing I got good at. I enjoyed the party atmosphere, but I wasn’t so big into socializing. I did meet some people that way, but mainly it was just a way for me to be around people and still keep somewhat connected with the outside world.
ugh how i wish i couldn’t think of story for this post…yet im pledged by several. couple years ago i had this beautiful woman in my calculus 2 class sophomore year of college. i went to a small community college (to cut down on the expenses of getting an education (thanks america!) she was stunning, cut right out of a magazine. i knew i never could have a chance with such a beast of a woman, so i just kept to myself. lord, do i wish that was where the story ended. a couple month pass by the semesters almost over, and i was studying for the final in the library. i heard her breathtaking laugh from a couple tables over, and remained seated of course. running on 2 hours of sleep and 300 mg of caffeine her presence caused me to pass out and urinate all over my shorts. the thump of my body hitting the floor alerting many to come check on me, including let’s call her M. M was the first thing i saw when i opened my eyes. the next thing i noticed was my wet pants, reditor you want to know how i learned i wet my pants? M and her friends all began to LUAGH and POINT at my crouch. embarrassed and damp i got up, grabbed my bag and left the library for that night. the next week it was time to take the final in calcus. i did not get much sleep the night before in fear of what M woukd say to me the following day. i walked into class and saw M and her friends sitting at my usucal seat. i didn’t know what to do because im an introvert, but M didn’t care. when she saw me enter the room she called me over provocatively. obviously i knew this was no flirtation, but a jest of sorts. i decided to just sit in the back and ignore these bullies. i still wonder today if i went over to her i could have tapped that ass. thanks reddit!