Energy Out, Energy In

Do you ever get tired of people? Not a specific person, but just people in general? I do. When a few weeks go by and I don't have a chance to be by myself, I start wanting to disappear into the depths of my duvet so that I can process the things I've done and been exposed to. In this way I'm a classic introvert.

I love people. But in order to love them properly, I need my alone time so that when I'm with people I can give them my full attention and interact with them without getting lost in my thoughts.

In physics the world the entire universe, energy cannot be created or destroyed. It just changes state. The total energy that is provided to an object is equal to the amount of energy that can be released by that object. I think the same is true for humans. Some people gain energy from being around people and find that being alone drains them. Others, like me, find that being around people for too long drains them and they gain their energy back by being alone.

I find that the best way to provide myself with energy is to have some quiet time. To loose myself in a book for an afternoon. To chill at home and paint for the day. To bake or cook and loose myself in the activity.The quickest way to deplete my energy stores is to spend every minute of every day with people.

For the last month and a half it's been a non-stop flow of people. While I've enjoyed spending time with them and had a multitude of good times, I noticed that as time went on I started becoming lost in my own thoughts when in a group of people to try and somehow get the space that I had been craving so desperately.

The longer I spend in a non-stop flow of people, the longer the un-interrupted block of time I need to be on my own (or at least doing something where I don't have to interact with someone).

Luckily the busy times have eased up and I'm starting to be able to catch up on my "me time" so that the next time I see friends, I don't zone out or slip away into my own little world...

I took this picture of the moon peeking through these leaves
when I was having last minute drinks with some friends one evening.
I love how ethereal it looks - it speak of possibility and imagination and dreams...

What about you? Do you get a kick out of consistently being with people? Or are you someone who needs their space in order to love those around them?

If you click here, you'll find a Ted Talk on introverts that I loved.