The Joys and Pains of Being an Introvert

Well, after thinking for a few days on what my next blog post would be, I decided on this: the risks and benefits of introversion.

Welcome to my world:

I wake up, do some studying, maybe do a little internet research on a topic that interests me (usually something to do with healthcare or animal science), socialize just a bit via text message, Facebook, etc. (I still don't get the hype of twitter), and walk the dog. So what do I do with the rest of my time?

I spent quite a bit of time interacting with my family. I feel a lot of people in my age group lose out on the benefits of spending time with there families for being eager to always be on the scene. I for one could care less about "the scene." I rarely party, as I find other things to do with my time. (maybe this is one of the things that makes me so delightfully awkward)

I spend a lot of time talking to my boyfriend. He is a constant in my life and I really enjoy our relationship. Unfortunately, we are about to enter the dreaded territory of the long distance relationship, but I think we can make it.

I also have developed plenty of hobbies. I love to read and to write, although I really need to spend a lot of time clearly planning things out when I write. I also like to play video games and watch anime. I watch the occasional television series, and some movies. I like to be outdoors, either walking, or just sitting and thinking. I even began to embrace my artistic side and found that I like to do different art projects from time to time. I'd say discovering what you like to do is quite a benefit of introversion, if you'd ask me.

Now here's where the introversion really kicks in. I have only a few friends that I have semi-regular contact with. Of course I have plenty of acquaintances, but there's nothing like an actual friend. Now this is a serious issue, because as everyone knows, networking is absolutely crucial to the college student. Here's where my dilemma begins: I am incredibly shy and quite nervous around people I don't know well. I feel as if I may even put up a barrier and inadvertently stop myself from becoming close to others. I have missed out on opportunities due to my shyness. Anyone else ever have this problem?

Fortunately, I have begun to place myself out of my comfort zone. Little by little, I'm realizing how beneficial it is to open up to others. My first real eye-opener was being able to shadow a physician, just by simply asking questions and following through, while leaving my shyness and nervousness on the back-burner. I hope that as I approach my junior year of college, I can keep up this momentum and continue to strive for excellence while learning about myself and what I was meant to do in this world.

=)