15 Things Introverts Are Grateful For During The Holidays
There's nothing like quality time with yourself.
weheartit The holidays are full of family time, parties and events. This is a great season to see everyone you love and catch up with old pals. There's a lot of food, drinking, and merriment. As fun as the holiday season is, it can be a little draining. This is especially true for being an introvert during the holidays.
The conversations and constant events are a lot to go to when you already have a busy schedule. Trying to keep up with it all is something everyone tries because you don't want to miss anything too important. Sure it's all fun and worth it, but for introverts, being that social can be tiring with a capital T.
The holidays are supposed to be spent with the ones you love, but there are also activities you can have fun doing all on your own. All of those activities spent alone can still be fun, because you have yourself as company and are full of holiday spirit.
You don't need to do everything by yourself, just enough to recharge your batteries for the next event.
The holidays can also be spent as a time of reflection. You can look back on your past year and see what has happened in your life — all the good and bad parts.
Your best memories from the past months can keep you warm inside from the cold. And the bad memories are there as lessons to take into the next year. You are able to really take a step back and see your life at the end of the year.
There's a lot to be grateful for, and when you reflect, you end up figuring that all out. You realize everything that does make you warm and fuzzy on the inside. That is all unique and different to every person.
Introverts love a lot of things about the world, but there's a special list that we give thanks for this time of year. From reading books to alone time to not having to schlep out to the majority of parties, we are terribly grateful for all these things. They help us recharge and bring our most authentic selves to the real world.
So, let's take a minute and illustrate the best parts of being an introvert during the holidays.
1. You finally have time to read books... lots and lots of books.
weheartit
Most introverts love some quality time with a good book, and the holidays can see us given a pile of new titles. Win!
2. You can have meaningful conversation with those you love.
weheartit
It's a common misconception that introverts don't like to talk. We enjoy good conversation just as much as the rest of you. We just like it to be meaningful. Talking about the weather? No. Talking about our passions? Yes, please.
3. You don't have to go to that boring holiday party.
weheartit
Don't get me wrong; we aren't afraid or disdainful of gatherings. We just don't enjoy ones where we don't have anything to talk about with people we don't know. A party with those we are close to is a whole other ballgame.
4. But you also have the opportunity to meet fellow introverts at a holiday party.
weheartit
Okay, so we got suckered into going to our best friend's office bash. That's not so fun. But you know what is? That moment we find someone else who would like nothing more than to sit quietly beside us. Preferably in the hallway. While reading a good book.
5. There's nothing better than taking a quiet walk alone or with a loved one.
weheartit
The keyword here is quiet. Let's just enjoy the silence, shall we?
6. You get to turn your work phones off for a week.
weheartit
No one can get us! Victory!
7. You do your holiday shopping alone.
weheartit
We might love our friends dearly, but let's be frank. It's way easier to get everything on your list without people distracting you with side trips and meaningless stories.
8. Even better, you do your holiday shopping online.
weheartit
What? You mean we don't have to make polite small talk with the guy behind the register as he takes forever to get the tags off all our sweaters? Sign us up!
9. It's the best time of year to have a quiet drink at home with your friends.
weheartit
Who needs a noisy, smelly bar when you can have a lovely evening in your PJs?
10. Taking solo drives calms you down.
weheartit
Yes, we might be on our way to a house full of crazy relatives, but if you like to drive, there's nothing quite like a long stretch of highway to calm the nerves.
11. Writing holiday cards is therapeutic.
weheartit
It's so much easier for us to express our thoughts through writing, and the holidays are a perfect time to share the love. But only to those we really care about. The rest of the world is on its own.
12. You don't have to deal with traffic on your commute.
weheartit
As a general rule, no one really relishes being part of a huge, teeming crowd, all intent on going in different directions. But those moments are especially stressful for introverts, and we are massively relieved to get a week off to hang out with our loved ones and pretend that such crowds don't exist anywhere on this planet.
13. And you don't have to put up with coworkers who drag on your nerves.
weheartit
Everyone has that one person in their office who just drives them up the wall, and introverts can feel that more intensely than most. So take we take our holiday time and savor the freedom.
14. You don't have to do a single thing during the day.
weheartit
Doing absolutely nothing the entire day except read and think, and being perfectly okay with that. It's called quality time with yourself. And it rocks.
15. You get well-deserved alone time.
weheartit
As much as we love our families, we prize our time to recharge. So don't take us running off to a quiet spot personally. We'll be back soon!
Kristen Droesch is a UX/content strategy nerd and Content Curator for Audible.