Loners and Introverts

The following quotes describe me, and always have. I feel that I pushed myself so hard for so long to be social that I finally cracked and ran dry. I can no longer push myself. Whatever energy source I used to propel myself into social situations is depleted. Will it ever be replenished? Only time will tell.

Some loners are able to act "normally" in a social setting. However, the strain of being in a situation which is uncomfortable will leave them mentally and emotionally exhausted. Therefore, they will have to retreat for a significant amount of time before being able to do so again.

From Wikipedia: "Loner".

Introversion is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life".^[3] Introverts tend to be low-key, deliberate, and relatively less engaged in social situations. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, drawing, watching movies, and using computers. The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, composer and inventor are all highly introverted. An introverted person is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people (although they tend to enjoy interactions with close friends). They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate.^[5]

Introversion is not the same as shyness. Introverts choose solitary over social activities by preference, whereas shy people avoid social encounters out of fear.^[6]

An introvert is energized when alone. Introverts tend to "fade" when with people and can easily become overstimulated with too many others around. Introverts tend to think before speaking.^[7]

^{From Wikipedia: Extraversion and Introversion}