An introvert describes managing social anxiety by taking 15-20 minute breaks between meetings for breathing exercises, rather than forcing himself to change. He notes that introverts and extroverts each have traits the other lacks, and that many people become ambiverts, blending both to preserve energy while meeting demands.
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Even with martial arts, you're walking into a room and there's just lots of people there. And while I'm very comfortable once I'm there, and it doesn't take very long, there's just that initial feeling that I recognize. So, there's an initial feeling of— it's not anxiety. Maybe it is a little bit of anxiety. And not sure why, but there's that little feeling that I recognize. I think that there it is, and then I manage it that way as opposed to I just need to be something that I'm not. And then I have to also appreciate that there are people around me that may want to talk even when I don't want to. So, it's just learning that management of, you know, and sometimes I think, well, I need to do this because it's a short period of time and it's very beneficial for the person I'm engaging with. But I then recognize it after that. And I put it in my diary too, Priya, that if I have back-to-back-to-back meetings, I go and put in a 15 or 20-minute break in there. And sometimes I literally, in this seat, I will sit there and breathe. I've been breathing. Cool. And then I can give my best. But if I just go back to back without a break sometimes, and then I'm not really— I don't feel like I'm giving my best. I lose concentration. I start thinking about when is this going to end. Um, so it's, uh, it's a lot. And I recognize that in a lot of people that I, um, that I manage, that I speak to. And if they are extroverts, I use them and they use me, um, you know, to balance out those, uh, parts of our personality that we're missing. You know, there's an introvert in every extrovert, and there's a bit of an extrovert in every introvert. It just It depends on the environment we're in. That's all.
That is so true. That is so true. I think somewhere in between of your developmental journey, you end up finding you're probably a bit more of an ambivert where you've got extroversion and introversion and you've had to balance out one or the other to meet the needs of the world while staying, you know, managing your own energy.
