Introverts and the Holiday Season: A Survival Guide for Introverts by an Extrovert
Most extroverts love the holiday season, but many introverts avoid it like the Grinch! With a few tips and tricks, introverts can also have the best holiday season of their life!
By Rabbiya Abid, BrainManager Team (read my bio)
The holiday season means celebration. Parties, food, family gatherings, you name it. It is one thing after the other, all day, every day.
For extroverts, such a life is nothing less than heaven. However, for introverts, not so much.
After all, our personalities play a crucial role in our everyday life. This includes choosing how we spend our holidays.
For introverts, even when they want to have a little fun, reaching out to others can become a problem. However, extroverts do a great job of getting them back on track.
If you are an introvert and feel left out at holiday parties, keep reading to get some tips to make it through your next holiday season!
Introverts and the Holidays
Unlike their extroverted counterparts, introverts like staying out of the spotlight. They prefer spending time with their thoughts while focusing on their internal world. Extroverts, on the other hand, do their best to be the life of the party. They love having a blast and bringing in whoever they can to have fun with.
For them, the more the merrier. Quite literally.
The question is, how do introverts survive within such merriment? Especially because preferring solitude does not mean hating celebrations. It just means enjoying it in a mellow way.
And in a world where they make up only a third of the population, introverts might need help navigating through the busy holidays.
For that, a few tips from all those partying extroverts might help!
An Extrovert’s Holiday Tips for Introverts
Just because there are many differences between extroverts and introverts, that doesn’t mean your outgoing friends can’t teach us a few things about how to survive the stress of the holiday season.
Hopefully, by using these tips, things won’t feel so out of control for you.
But don’t forget to mark your calendar for January 2 — World Introvert Day! — a day set aside especially for introverts to take it easy and recharge after all the hustle and bustle.
Plan Ahead
Everyone has a long list of activities to participate in during the holidays. Be it family dinners, hanging out with friends, or going away for the weekend, the list never ends.
During this time, introverts must plan. Doing so helps differentiate between where one has to go and where one needs to be.
Making a schedule allows introverts to sketch out their day and prioritize commitments based on importance. Through this, introverts end up in all the right places without depleting their energy reserves!
Do Not Go Out Alone
Extroverts can spend so much time out and about because they usually have good company to hang out with. For introverts, doing the same is beneficial.
Having a holiday buddy to tag along with can help introverts manage their social battery in a better way. Such buddies can hold the fort till their friend takes a much-needed breather.
After all, everyone needs a time out at some point in time. And when that time comes, it is crucial to have someone who can take your place, even for a little while.
Do What You Love
Introverts and extroverts alike prefer doing what they feel most comfortable with. For example, introverts like activities that help them enhance their internal solitude. Extroverts, on the other hand, are more outgoing.
Hence, it is crucial that even around the holidays, introverts spend some time, if not all, doing something that they adore, even if it means carrying a book to read at a family dinner.
Having a good holiday does not necessarily mean staying out all night. It simply means doing what you love with the people you love. And if sitting in silence and reading a book does it for you, then that is what you should do.
Take Your Breaks
Even for extroverts, too much social interaction is possible. While many feel that only introverts face social anxiety, extroverts might go through the same thing.
It is crucial to take breaks to avoid emotional, social, and sensory overload. During the holiday season, there is usually a lot to do. And it can quickly get quite overwhelming.
Hence, one can and should always make time for their well-being. As introverts, this can include taking a leisurely walk, enjoying a good book, listening to their favorite music, or even spending time alone quietly daydreaming.
In short, doing something by the end of which one feels recharged and energized.
Learn To Say No
Holidays can come with a lot of responsibilities. Sometimes, fulfilling all of them is impossible. For such cases, learning to say no is crucial.
It is okay to turn down an invitation. It is also okay to skip a friend’s hangout. After all, it is not possible to be present at all places at the same time. Forcing oneself to do so results in physical and mental exhaustion that can lead to burnout.
One needs to prioritize one’s preferences while respectfully declining others. And while introverts find it hard to do this, it can never be impossible.
How Do You Plan On Spending Your Holidays?
If you are an introvert, chances are you may dread the holiday season — at least certain aspects of it.
When planning your holiday activities, it’s important to take care of yourself, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed. See what you want to do and where to spend your time. Find things that make you happy and do them with the people you love.
Everyone should enjoy their holidays regardless of how introverted or extroverted they are.
