Meep wrote:I am an introvert, I stopped trying to turn myself into a social butterfly when I was old enough to realise that trying to defy my nature just left me stressed out. I can spend a few hours a day around people and enjoy it but I do not "unwind" by spending time with others like some people seem to, in fact it does the opposite and makes me more tense. The only way I can live my life without having panic attics is by having a lot of alone time.
There nothing wrong with that. If you watch TV ads you'd be forgiven for thinking that unless you live your live constantly 'connected' either virtually or physically to a large group of friends (always good-looking, constantly happy, smiling people) you're some kind of oddball. The version of life we see forced at us relentlessly by film and TV is not the version of real life most of us recognise.
I, too, much prefer my own company. I can spend time with others in small doses, but I'm always quietly relieved to return to the sanctuary of my own space (another reason why I consciously choose to live alone, having tried the alternative several times in my life).
Oscar Wilde said something like 'the definition of loneliness is someone who can't abide their own company'. I think there's a ton of truth in that. Being on my own has never bothered me or made me unhappy - thus, I never feel 'alone' in the negative sense. I like the quiet, I like being in control and the lack of compromise that being alone offers. I dunno - maybe that sounds selfish. Perhaps it is.
People undervalue the solitary life. The world is so constantly noisy, so wired, online, instant. We forget what a great thing peace and quiet can be.
