As an extrovert, it is said that spending time in the company of a zillion people, is like finding your heavenly kingdom, but what if that’s not the case?
What if you are not necessarily an outgoing extrovert, but more of a shy extrovert? What if the thought of placing yourself into a legion of strangers, leaves you anxiety-ridden? Listed below are 8 signs that you may be a shy extrovert:
1. You’ve perfected the pep-talk because you give them to yourself all the time.
Shy extroverts crave social interaction, but being social requires a lot of work. You may suffer from self-conscious thoughts and can often be very self-critical. You’ve literally spent five minutes in the car before you enter a new social setting, just to remind yourself of how awesome you are. Now, if only you would relax! Go get em’ Tiger!
2. You hate it when attention is on you.
Yes, yes, you love recognition for killing it at work, and in life, but receiving praise for your wondrous savvy-ness in the company of others will cause you to cringe with embarrassment. You are self-effacing and prefer acknowledgment in private. Party of two please.
3. You love to get social…with one or two of your closest friends.
Less is more for the shy extrovert. In a crowded room you recede into the background, and you’re fine with that. You have a magnetic charm about you, but can’t bare the anxiety of showing off your quirks in a room full of strangers. Life of the party, sure, as long it’s in the safety of your dearest.
4. You’re totally into making new friends as long as they get you and their witty banter sends you into an explosive string of laughter.
Shy extroverts appreciate good conversation and a good sense of humor. When others ask questions, show interest in your thoughts, and take notice of your idiosyncrasies, you begin to feel a sense of security in the interaction and have no issue revealing yourself…quirks and all.
You enjoy a good laugh. Other people’s use of humor helps you to relax and let go of your fear of judgment.
5. You’ve got lots to say, but when asked to speak up in a crowd you’re like, “Who me????
Most shy extroverts come across as cool, calm and collected. Called on to speak unexpectedly, and you immediately freeze up. You are a pro in a controlled environment, but when caught off-guard, you sink into self-deprecating inner dialog. In the end, you are left feeling defeated.
6. On the topic of shyness your friends say, “You, shy? Uh, no way,??? and you’re like, “No, really.???
As a shy extrovert, you often find that you’re mistakenly classified as outgoing. What your friends don’t know, is that you’ve trained yourself to manage how to deal in social settings and you’re really, really good at it. Yup, fooled ya!
7. When meeting friends for a post work-day cocktail, your energy level amps up, but soon into the evening you’ve got a serious craving to abandon your squad and fly solo.
While you may enjoy the increased level of energy from being around friends, there comes a point at every social engagement where you’ve just had enough. Suddenly you find yourself staring at the clock and trying to come up with some reasonable excuse for bailing. Spending time alone at home just became so much more appealing.
8. You may have mistaken yourself for an introvert.
Shyness and introversion are often confused to be one-in-the-same. As a shy extrovert, you may have mistakenly associated yourself to introversion. The difference: introverted people are over stimulated in social settings, where shy people just fear speaking up. Introverted people are overwhelmed in most social gatherings, where shy people just need a little push. In this case, the shy extrovert struggles a bit to initiate conversation, but in fact, feeds off of other people’s energy.
