At work, I have people in and out of my office. Even when they aren’t coming in my office, there is noise up and down the hall with faculty and students collaborating. It isn’t always chaos but it comes close.
Being part of a large family, chaos is normal for me. I cope with it in my own ways whether that is listening to family news from faculty or student workers or hearing complaints about students or faculty or a myriad of other ways. This is my social time. I’m interacting with people.
When I get home, I want my peace and quiet. I love those moments when Ken and I chat about our day or some news report or whatever. I enjoy the time he and I spend together watching tv or just being together.
Still that is social time for me, granted it is on a smaller level but still social time. I enjoy the people in my life whether work or home.
Being an introvert, what keeps me coping and managing all the chaos is the time I spend alone. Last night I sat in the dark and thought about things. A variety from story lines to possible story lines to life and anything else that popped into my head. I wrote for awhile but the time I spent in the dark just thinking helped me bring the focus back into who I am and what I need.
The alone time, the me time, helps me handle the chaos in my life and helps me let go of the stress in life. It isn’t something new. One of my favorite activities as a child was to climb a tree and read a book. I had a favorite red maple tree I’d go hide out in. Even as an adult and mother, there were times Ken took the kids so I could have time to myself. Alone time helps me be a better me.