I'm an introvert. I am energized when I am alone. And drained when I'm around others. As a teacher, I am around others ALL of the time. I can sometimes find time to re-energize on my plan. But, not guaranteed. I love my students and have a really good time teaching. Engaging with students is truly rewarding. But, I feel like I "perform" all day. I put on my happy face, turn on my witty brain, amp up my energy level ... and teach. I love it. But, when I get home ... I'm done. My husband "deals" with it, but I know he sometimes wishes I had more to give at home. I think he sees it as me not getting enough sleep or not making good use of my time. That is probably a small part of it, but I really think the biggest part is just that I need to be alone. He is an introvert, too. So, it is not like he doesn't understand where I'm coming from. Anyone else feel this way?
Oh. Yes. I am essentially an actress all day. At dismissal, I am done. I don't do anything productive after school during the week.
I think everyone needs some "down time" ..... even extroverts like me. Most of the time I'm energized by being around people (groups from just 2 or 3 to a large crowd) ..... and then from time to time I need to be with just ME ...... to reflect on my thoughts and feelings....
I'm an introvert, but being around the kiddos energizes me. It's adults that make me exhausted. I'm a performer at heart anyway, so the "always on" part works for me.
I could have written this verbatim, minus the part about your husband being an introvert, too. Mine is not.
I'm very much an introvert. I enjoy being around people, but I need my down time to recharge, too. I love that when I get home I've got the whole place to myself. My EX never really understood the need for me to have time to myself.
For me the calm time is when I go to classes like Karate and yoga. I focus on moving my body and my head gets a break. Maybe you should start saying you are on your "me time."
Makes me feel better to know I'm not alone. I don't mind being "this way" but sometimes I feel guilty in the evening. I used to meditate every morning and really enjoyed that. I wonder if I should try meditation in the evening.
I, too, could have written your post! I don't have the liberty of much quiet time with my kids, but they seem to be okay with me hoping on the treadmill for 20 minutes. So, I use that as my quiet time (walking, not running) and no one is the wiser. And, it does help me to be able to socialize again Try the meditation; it can't hurt!
Yes, yes, and yes! My fiance is an extrovert, but he understands my need for quiet downtime after school. Plus, he gets a lot of interaction with his job, so that helps.
I feel similarly. Iv found spending about an hour at home in front of the telly or in quiet with my cat and dog doing nothing helps though. I also kind of enjoy the quiet before and after school and I use that to get grading done, or at lest I did during student teaching.
Not at all. I'm the opposite. I'm a huge extrovert and when I'm not around people I have no idea what to do. Twice a month I have "me" days but I still find ways to incorporate other people into one or two phases of my day. If I'm not socializing a majority of the time I am just plain miserable.
I think I am a cautious introvert. I like being around people, but boy do I love it when everyone goes to bed and it is just me. My checkbook would never get balanced if I didn't have those hours after the hubs and kids have gone to bed. Neither would the floor get vacuumed (they sleep through it). Being introverted has definitely caused me to be a night owl!
This is exactly how I feel. I hate being around lots of people and I am pretty low-energy most of the time. I'm always "on" at work and it is not always the "real" or genuine me; it's the me that I put out there to get me through the work day. It drives me crazy.
Another introvert here! I never was the social type & was always pretty shy. I'm an only child & have a solitary life. I don't have friends really & I could care less about parties/get togethers. I may go out to lunch with a pal every several months. I don't talk much unless there's something to be said. I don't ramble on & on about nothing...definitely not to say that extroverts ramble about nothing. I'm just saying how my personality is! My longtime boyfriend complements (not to be confused with compliments) me perfectly! He doesn't have friends really either. Can be happy at home curled up with good food & a movie. He's satisfied with the simple things in life. Regarding my work, I work at home most of the time these days & I love it! My schedule may not always stay this way, but it will as long as I can help it!
I'm a perfectly content little introvert! Love my job, love my colleagues, and just like my alone time when the day is done. I agree with others...the adults at school are what put me on overload. I really don't have many friends where I'm living and I'm fine with that. I've had the same group of friends since upper elementary and high school. I haven't found anyone like them around here, so I just load up on friend time when I travel home about once per month and I'm good to go!
I'm completely the same. Since I have kids at home, I don't have quiet until after they go to bed. I get up an hour early every morning to get quiet time in though. I started doing it last year and it makes my days so much better!
It is so reassuring to hear that there are so many introverted teachers out there! I am definitely an introvert although I think I have extrovert tendencies, since I do draw energy from teaching in that kind of rush of adrenaline way that kicks in about 10 minutes before the first bell. But then at the end of the day, I am completely drained. Even after my 45-minute commute, I am still barely able to string two sentences together on the rare occasions that my husband is home before me. Sometimes I am moody and grouchy, too. I don't think it is fair to him, or to my friends who haven't seen me since September. Luckily, he's an introvert too, so he gets it. But I definitely have those moments when I wonder if it's worth it. I also wonder how on earth I would ever be able to teach and have kids -- I don't know if I could do both. My mom was a teacher and I clearly remember her needing to "lie down for a minute" every day after school when I was a kid (which usually turned into more like an hour -- she got migranes, too). And my mom is probably the most extroverted person on the planet. So I suppose everyone is tired after a full-day teaching, not just us introverts... And for the record, I am an official Myers-Brigs INFJ
I've always been amazed by the fact that I was so incredibly animated as a teacher. I was lively and loved being in front of the classroom giving new knowledge to my kiddos. As an administrator, I am pretty accustomed to being in front of large groups of people facilitating professional development and staff meetings. Most people don't know that I'm actually really shy and quiet. After work, I need lots of time to decompress because I spend all day being "on"!
Agreed with all of the sentiment here. My BF is also an extreme introvert so we're good to just stay at home and relax. He forces himself to socialize, and some nights when his friends come over I'm pretty much catatonic.
Just came back from a couple of days at my mom's and I'm exhausted. I'm glad I have a couple of days in the house by myself before my daughter and her boyfriend arrive.
