26 Small Difficult Things You Have to Deal With When You’re an Introvert

ByJenn Granneman
IntrovertDear.com introvert small difficult things

It’s not easy being an introvert. Little things that don’t bother extroverts — like hanging out in groups, unexpected phone calls, and being put on the spot — can chip away at your energy. That’s because we introverts have a less active dopamine reward system than extroverts, so the things that energize extroverts just don’t excite us as much. In fact, they can be downright draining, leading us to suffer from something known as the “introvert” hangover; this is when we feel tired, irritable, and even physically unwell. But introverts aren’t freaks of nature (even though we may feel that way, especially growing up). Being an introvert is a perfectly normal “thing” to be; studies show that introverts make up about 30-50 percent of the population.

If you’re an introvert, you probably deal with dozens of little annoyances every day — and they all add up. Can you relate to these 26 small difficult things? I can’t speak for every introvert, but I believe this list is generally true.

Small Difficult Things About Being an Introvert

1. When someone immediately calls you instead of just answering your text.

2. When the teacher says these dreaded words: “This is a group project. No exceptions.”

3. When you’re being quiet because you’re daydreaming or concentrating, or you just don’t have anything to say at the moment, and someone asks, “Are you okay? You look sad/upset.”

4. When you’re trying to read or do something else alone and your roommate or significant other keeps interrupting you with insignificant questions.

5. When you’re excited that you have nothing to do after work, and then your friend texts and says, “We’re still on for tonight, right?” You completely forgot about the plans you made. There goes your downtime.

6. When you want to leave a party or event because it’s draining, but the person you rode with is having fun and doesn’t want to go yet.

7. When people point out how quiet you are, as if making you feel even more self-conscious will suddenly make you open up.

8. When you show up to your job and work hard every day, but your boss has no idea what your contributions are because you don’t run around tooting your own horn like an extrovert.

9. When you want to talk to someone interesting/attractive, but you have no idea how to start the conversation.

10. When someone keeps talking and talking and you don’t want to be rude and interrupt them, but you’re getting really sick of listening and trying to act supportive.

11. When people think you’re not having fun because you’re being quiet.

12. When people think you’re shy or don’t like them, but that’s not the case at all — it’s because you just met them and haven’t figured out how to interact with them yet.

13. When you’re getting worn out and you go to leave the party or event and someone makes you feel guilty by asking incredulously, “You’re leaving already?”

14. When the teacher calls on you even though you weren’t raising your hand (because you never say much in class and she wants you to feel “included” by getting the chance to “participate”).

15. When your coworkers expect you to eat lunch with them, but you’ve already spent all morning with them and the lunch hour is your only quiet refuge away from people.

16. When you’re so desperate to get away from people for a few minutes that you go to the bathroom.

17. When you host a party or social event in your home but there are those two people who stay long after everyone else has left and just keep talking obliviously.

18. When someone texts you and wants to hang out right now. As in, “I’m almost at your house.” No prior notice.

19. When you want to talk about the universe, the meaning of life, and other deep topics, but everyone is talking about celebs, office gossip, or their weekend plans.

20. When you finally get some time to yourself and you get a call/text notification.

21. You have a lot of online friends, but of course none of the best ones live anywhere near you, so you end up spending Saturday night at home talking to them online. You fantasize about hanging out with them somewhere but it would be so hard to actually make that happen.

22. When you’re on an airplane or public transportation and the person next to you keeps trying to talk to you, even though you’re reading a book or have headphones in.

23. When your best friend or significant other gets hurt because you don’t want to hang out with them tonight. Seriously, you just want a few hours to yourself to unwind.

24. When you don’t want to go to the party/event, but you don’t know how to turn the person down without sounding like a jerk.

25. When you come home and thought the house would be empty, but your roommate or a family member is unexpectedly there.

26. When you just want to be left alone, but suddenly, that’s when everyone needs you.

What would you add to this list?

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I’m the founder of this community and the author of two books: THE SECRET LIVES OF INTROVERTS, a manifesto for all the “quiet ones,” and SENSITIVE, an Amazon Best Book of the Year. An educator and a journalist, I’ve been featured in the NY Times, the Washington Post, Oprah Daily, the Guardian, and more. I started Introvert, Dear in 2013 because I wanted to write about what it was like being an introvert living in an extrovert’s world. My mission is simple: to empower introverts and sensitive people to embrace their strengths — and to start seeing their nature as a good thing. Since embracing my own introversion and sensitivity, I live a pleasantly boring life with my son in St. Paul, Minnesota.