I’m an introverted extrovert
My husband and I have opposite personalities—he’s an ESTJ and I’m an ENFP (or so I thought, but I’ll get to that.) He’s a hard “yes” or hard “no” to everything. I’m more of a “well, it depends” kind of person.
The minister told us during our premarital counseling sessions that we were destined to clash. In fact, he laughed good-naturedly and said, “Good luck.”
Recently, on our 20th wedding anniversary, just for fun, we took one of those free online personality tests to see if anything had changed. My husband hasn’t changed a bit. 😉 I, however, registered as an introvert.
I wasn’t all that surprised, especially because it was a 51%-49% split. It makes a lot of sense to me that, these days, how I get my energy is more balanced. Or maybe I’ve always been this way, and I’m just more aware of what energizes me and what drains me than I was when I was younger.
I love being with people. And I love solitude.
What I’ve realized in both cases, it’s about connection. Connection with myself. Connection with others.
It’s the disconnect that drains me, can send me spiraling if I’m not careful.
Sometimes I have to reach out, be with people, and it’s a balm to my soul.
Sometimes I have to intentionally pull away and find quiet, and it’s a balm to my soul.
And sometimes I just have to live with the disconnect, regardless of how unpleasant that feels. Letting myself feel my feelings is also balm to my soul. At the end of the day, it’s all just energy. And energy needs freedom and space to move.
