I see people talking about Introversion vs Extroversion as if those terms represent facts about energy management. They don’t. They’re a descriptive model. You know the phrase, “All models are wrong, but some of them are useful”—? At the point a model conflicts with lived experience, it’s no longer useful.
I’m an ambivert. I require interaction with others to activate my energy. It gets me jazzed, and a vibrant exchange of ideas helps spark and refine my understanding in ways I could never achieve by myself.
I also require time alone to think, integrate, and create. This isn’t “recuperation.” This is a symbiotic part of the process. I oscillate between the two, like a dance that dips and sways.
If I spend too much time with others, my cache gets full and it’s harder to be present.
If I spend too much time alone, I get caught in mental and emotional rabbit holes.
I need both.