Introvert Feels Insulted By Extroverted Coworker Telling Him To ‘Get Out Of His Shell’ — 'I'd Rather Be Alone’
"This is not a shell, this is who I am as a person."
Alex Green | Pexels Introverts are often told that they are too closed off, need to be more social, and have difficulty navigating social interaction. But do they need to interact with more people to get 'better', or is it okay to be content as an introvert?
Joshua, a content creator on TikTok, expressed that he's done with people making him feel like his introverted self isn't enough just because he isn't a social butterfly.
The self-proclaimed introvert felt 'triggered' when an extroverted coworker told him to 'get out of his shell.'
Joshua attended a work conference that required him to interact with others and was paired up with a coworker for an activity. Upon being paired up with him, the coworker told Joshua he wanted to "break him out of his shell."
This immediately rubbed Joshua the wrong way, making him feel like being himself was the wrong way of doing things.
"For so long in my life, I've been trying to break out of my shell, and it's taken until just now to realize that there's no shell to break out of," he said.
He is comfortable with his identity and is okay with not being the most social person in the room.
And you know what? Maybe that should be a lesson to us all.
No one should be ashamed of being introverted.
So many people make introverts feel that just because they're not speaking their minds 24/7 or participating in every conversation, there's something wrong with them — but that's not true.
You may not hear it enough, so here it is: being introverted is not a problem and is not something you need to fix.
Being an introvert can have plenty of benefits. According to research published by Walden University, introverts tend to perform better academically than their extroverted peers and are 70% more likely to be gifted in a particular field.
Introverts have even been found to have thicker gray matter in their brains, which is associated with complex thinking, emotion regulation, and decision-making.
Regardless of what others say, being reserved doesn't diminish your value. You do not need to disregard your boundaries because your quietness unnerves them. Instead, embrace your introvert strengths and feel confident in your quiet self.
More people need to accept that not everyone is thrilled by the prospect of social interaction.
If you comment on how quiet others are or feel they're not engaging with you enough, maybe ask yourself why you feel that way. Why do you feel entitled to the inner workings of someone's life?
Although unintentional, comments like these may trigger and irritate others. Remembering this in the workplace is especially important because many people do not show who they really are at work. For them, work is about clocking in, doing what needs to be done, and clocking out.
If you don't feel the same way, that's completely fine. However, understanding and accepting that may allow your coworkers who aren't social butterflies to feel more at ease around you.
Many people prefer to remain anonymous, and the sooner we start accepting this instead of treating introverted people as a problem, the better off we'll all be.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.