Why Being Lonely as an Introvert is Complicated

In a college class I took,  a presenter one day led an icebreaker game called Cross the Line. Maybe you’ve heard of it. In it, the presenter read out statements one at a time and students crossed onto the other side of the room if they agreed with the statement in question. Years later, I still remember what happened when the presenter announced, “Cross the line if you’ve ever felt lonely.” Everyone except one woman crossed. Then, a woman who had crossed along with the rest of us called out, “Well, you’re alone now.” It was funny but kind of sad.

According to a recent Globe and Mail article on a loneliness crisis, almost 25% of Canadians describe themselves as feeling lonely. Yet we don’t talk about it.

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How to Use Your Struggles for Good

Do you know what your weakness is?

Not in an I-can’t-resist-an-ice-cream-on-a-hot-summer’s-day kind of way. More like this: what about yourself do you wish were different—but no matter what you do, you can’t seem to rid yourself of this thing completely?

Books to Impact an Introvert

This photo, “With a book,” is (c) Mo Riza 2006 and made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial license.

Can anything beat the joy of finding a book you love so much that you have to finish it in one sitting?

I’m sure it’s possible, but for me, reading is pretty high up there in hobbies that I can get lost in. And I love getting book recommendations–but the saying goes that you have to give to get. So, how about we strike a deal? I share four books that have impacted me in some way related to my being an introvert, and you share some of yours. Just in time for summer! Sounds solid.