The Health Chronicles: Introverted Recharging

Embracing "Me" Time

If you told younger me, whether that be little kid, high school, college, that I was an introvert, I would have laughed in your face. Hell, my friends would have laughed at you too. How can someone who loves to perform and always wants to be out doing “something” actually be an introvert?

Well, spoiler alert, I didn’t know I was one. And furthermore, being an introvert always seemed like it was a bad thing.

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And that wasn’t just in my own mind. The quiet kids were often called “weird” and so much worse. I do genuinely enjoy socializing and staying up late on occasion. But I, as I am prone to do, I was doing this to the absolute limit. My social battery would be beyond empty and by the time I would slow down and have time to myself, I wasn’t really recharging, I was just being a recluse.

And we have to make a clear distinction here. Being introverted and isolating oneself are completely different things.

The more I think about this, the more I understand that I was never comfortable with my own thoughts. I sometimes have difficulty exploring “me”. While being an empath and having genuine care for others is legitimately who I am, it’s also a convenient cover. Now that I am starting to understand my own needs and what recharging means to me, I feel like I can also be a lot better at that too. I have to be the best version of myself if I am to be the best version for my friends and family.

There’s a reason why I have not been actively dating for a while. I knew I needed to do some self improvement and self exploration. Yeah…maybe it took a little longer than expected, but there’s also no time limit on this. In all of this I have found out a lot about myself though. It took a little more trial and tribulation than I would have liked, but I am happy to be where I am at the moment.

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So, what does introverted “me” time look like in the future? I may muse on this later, but I think it definitely involves lots of reading, writing, playing music, library time, and nature walks. It’s also time that can be spent with someone else too. Reading on a couch with someone or walking together are both things that can recharge someone who is introverted. All I know for sure, is that I appreciate the sound of silence and my own space now more than ever. Eventually I’ll find someone to share some of that space with too, but that’s perhaps another article for later in the year.

Let’s do some check ins.

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Did I drink this week? No.

Did I have junk food? Sadly, yes. I really have to find a way to meal prep better. But I will fully admit, having a kitchen that’s too small and way too many people in it does not help. I did however have TONS of veggies this week!

Average Walking Distance: 4.6 miles. Honestly I just need to walk more on days off.

Sleep Average: 7 hours and 4 minutes!!! This makes me so happy and what’s better is that I think I can even improve!!!

Screen Time: 6 hours and 54 minutes. If I go to sleep earlier this will help. Also, again, most of this was spent on 1v1 convos and not doomscrolling.

Average Notifications: 456. Most of them are individual messages. My social media notifications are almost nonexistent now.

Average Pickups: 179. I really just need to utilize my watch more. I can do plenty with it if I just get used to using it again.

And I will leave you all with that. I just finished my prebiotic tea, and I think I’ll go for a nice brisk walk. I’m meeting an old colleague/friend for brunch and then it’ll be Super Bowl time. Not exactly a restful day off, but it’s better than what I probably would have been doing in previous years.

Have a wonderful week!

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