Count It As A Win

I Did It!

If you read my last post, Get Me Out Of My Comfort Zone, you’ll see that I was rallying for support to get out of my comfort zone by going to a party. Well, I’m ecstatic to report my success! I was wavering on my acceptance of that party invitation. Classic introvert, right? But I did it! Count it as a win! I went and I’m so glad I did. I had a really great time and it was a lot of fun!

Even Though I Did Have Anxiety

Of course I had anxiety when I first got there. Sometimes stepping through the front door can be the scariest part, but again…success! My friend, the hostess, is an extrovert but she has unbelievable instincts when it come to understanding me.

She did quick and to the point introductions so I didn’t have to do my own. Then she ushered me straight to the kitchen. There I could busy myself with preparing the wine and snacks that I brought while the other guests remained in the living room. It gave me a chance to take some deep breaths and work through my initial jitters. But I still needed an extra minute to get used to the environment. So I put a lot of thought into whether the dark chocolate should go on the board with the strawberries or the pineapple. Decisions, decisions.

Don’t Count It As A Win?

I am very grateful for the group of ladies that were there! They made it easy to be my introverted self. So easy, in fact, that I almost didn’t count it as a win! However I was successful in overcoming my biggest hurdle, which was not canceling. So yeah, chalk one up for the homebody!

It wasn’t a huge party, so not crowded at all. My friend has a larger living room and lots of seating so I was able to keep my oversized personal space bubble with no problems. I filled my plate with as much cheese and fruit that would fit on it and slid into one of the soft comfy chairs. It was next to an end table and was slightly outside the realm of the couch and coffee table. Perfect for interjecting into the conversation every once in awhile. When I didn’t have anything to say, I could just sit back and listen.

Everyone made me feel like what little I did say was interesting and important to the flow of the conversation. I was so appreciative of how welcoming they were. Not one person gave me the impression that they thought I was an outsider. It was like I’d always been there. They were all so awesome. Much thanks to an excellent group of gals!

Let’s Do It Again

I love that I had a fantastic experience at this party. Many kudos to my friend who really encouraged me to come and did whatever she could to make me comfortable. At the end of the night, I was shocked that I still had energy left! The dreaded onset of the introvert hangover never happened and I didn’t have to spend the next day recharging. Now that’s what I’m talking about! If this is how all parties were, I could count all of my socializing as a win.

Fellow introverts…have you ever had a time when you were out and about and didn’t come home drained? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment or send me an email at julie@thecardcarryingintrovert.com.