We’ve reached the inevitable part of the semester where it feels like we’re constantly waiting for the weekend to come. Constant homework, exams, projects, and classes have made most people feel overwhelmed by now and ready to enjoy the little bit of time off we receive. Most students of course use the weekend to party or hang out with their friends, but someone like me feels like those activities would be exhausting after a long week of classes and assignments. I believe a lot of this has to do with my tendency to be introverted when it comes time to recharge.

Introverts tend to get a bad rap and are often assumed to be not social, shy, or anxious people. From my personal experience, this is not the case. I enjoy hanging out with my friends, going out for social events and am someone with great public speaking skills; all of which are traits that are associated with an extroverted person. While exhibiting traits that are associated with extroverts, I have come to understand that in order to feel like the most myself, I have to take time to be alone.

When I was younger I toggled between being someone who was perceived to be shy and not social by adults but perceived to be social and outgoing by my peers. I used to push myself to be more extroverted in situations where normally I wouldn’t be, not because I wanted to but because I thought that was the best thing to do. Now that I’m older I realized that we are often put into social situations where being an extrovert can benefit you.

Many of these social situations where being an extrovert is helpful will happen once we start getting settled into our careers. Over the summer I spent time interning at a startup company and several times I had to engage in small talk or mingle with several co-workers at once. After long days of networking and socializing, I felt completely drained of my energy. Although I had no problem speaking to the occasional co-worker one-on-one or in small groups, I understood that having to engage with dozens of people at once was something that I needed to take time to recover from at the end of the day.

It’s only been in the past couple of years where I have found out that it’s okay to embrace the parts of me that want to step back from social situations so that I can properly relax in the comfort of my own space. I’ve also come to realize that there’s something wonderful about being able to enjoy your own company which is not something that every person can say they do.

Destiny Blanchard is a senior management major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at dblanchard@eiu.edu.