About 20 to 45% of people are introverts, yet there are still misconceptions about being one. For instance, socially anxious, shy, or anti-social people are often termed introverts just because they tend to speak less or are often alone. Chances are you have preconceived notions that can hinder you from dating an introvert, so first, let’s look at who an introvert is.
How To Identify An Introvert?
The psychologist Carl Gustav Jung first used introvert and extrovert to explain personality differences or traits. He referred to introverts as people focused on their inner thoughts and feelings, while extroverts were people focused on sensory experiences, actions, and objects.
Introverts like to have some time alone for recharging and get tired from social interactions. However, introverts, like other people, need and enjoy social interaction and involvement with other people. They can be thoughtful and observant or just people who prefer a calm or quiet environment with less external stimulation.
As discussed above, social anxiety and shyness are the personality traits most commonly confused with introversion. The former, unlike introversion, refers to fear or anticipation of something bad happening in social situations. These fears can be more or less extreme and can go away with exposure. On the other hand, shyness is a normalized form of anxiety and hesitation to speak out in social environments.
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Relationship Advice To Help You With Dating An Introvert
You need empathy, understanding, trust, and love to have a fruitful relationship with an introvert (or anyone else). These tips or advice just contain some methods and practices to help you do the same.
-Firstly, you can encourage direct communication within the relationship. It may involve making your partner aware of your needs or their quirks that bug you. Being honest and comfortable to open up with each other can help your partner trust you more.
-One of the defining traits of introverts is that they get overwhelmed by external stimulation and need time to recharge. Hence, you should give them the time they need to recharge. Understand that their need to get away doesn’t mean they want to avoid you but need some alone time to relax.
-For greater happiness and mutual benefit from your relationship, you can try to compromise with each other. For instance, one day, you can stay home with them and engage in a relaxing activity they enjoy. And on another day, you can take them outside and enjoy sightseeing, travel, or anything else you’d like.
-Finally, like any good partner, you can try to be sensitive to their needs. People express their emotions and feelings verbally through body language, facial expressions, and, most importantly, their actions. Relating with your partner will become much easier once you know what they like, want, and need.
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Conclusion
Introverts make for excellent partners in romantic relationships as they can be trustworthy, loyal, and insightful. However, understanding and relating better to them may take some time, and you can make the process easier by following our tips for dating an introvert. To improve your relationship with introverts, you can start by being sensitive to their needs and respecting their time alone. Another important aspect of having better relationships with introverts, or anyone, is loving yourself. Self-love can become a foundation for healthy and supportive relationships that improves your quality of life. To get started, here are 45 journaling prompts to help you get to know and love yourself.
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