How To Take Back Your Power As An Introvert

First of all, there is no dispute about the toxicity of social media. Especially in recent years, many unkind words have been spoken, with Instagram in the first lines, taking the one for the team. Profiting off of shallow values, promoting plastic beauty, unrealistic lifestyles, massive influencer culture, and monetizing people's unhappiness is so closely tied to the media madness, there is no more line to cross; the line has been erased altogether.

If we fell so far down the rabbit hole, and the internet is basically a supernova that exploded with memes and Insta careers right in our faces – Is there any space for positive talk within the orbit of social media? Can you stay on it daily and not want to walk into the sea without any hope that Moses would part it?

Well, yes, if you know how to proactively assort.

Apart from scrolling through the Buzzfeed quizzes, stalking your favorite celebrity, or promoting your business, we could start addressing an issue that has risen up naturally with the meteoric rise of online communication. The problem that has come up multiple times yet does not get enough love from the public. We've heard celebrities talk about mental health and social media, cleansing and unplugging, all gerund you can think of.

However, there is not enough talk on how society has changed and challenged introverts and extroverts. A tool that can positively transform the psychology of a human being? Without thousands of dollars to spend on a shrink digging through the feelings?

If you're an introvert like me, you have probably met a lot of assho- - - people who bombard you with questions about your mental health if they sniff out your reluctance to attend black-out parties every night.

First of all, not everyone who is an introvert has social anxiety. The crippling misunderstanding of the word is enough to write a whole dissing book about. For the purposes of a succinct narrative – let's define introvert-ness as a type of personality where being around too many people at the same time drains one's energy. Therefore, we prefer the company of smaller crowds so we could adequately rest and recharge.

No, we are not weirdos who don't like people. No, we do not struggle with every single interaction of every single day. The positive representation of introverts in the public eye is simply non-existent. Either we're being portrayed as shy high school nerds who help their extroverted friends get boyfriends, and maybe get a few ha-ha-ha lines about how we're 99% of the time buried in books, but can totally punch a bitch out of nowhere in a heated moment of self-congratulatory empowerment. Or recluse plain Jane mice who, by the end of the movie, turn into a Ratatouille master chef of social interaction. In other words, they turn us into extroverts, because being an introvert automatically equals meh.;

There is an accessible Instagram account, with over 176 thousand followers called IntrovertStruggles.

I mean. Come on.

Is it sometimes vexatious to navigate through daily life in times when popularity is the most valued commodity?

Yes. But we cannot spring social change or at least spark awareness in one day. What we can do is sort through social media proactively to create a bubble of positive representation, which might lead to more and more inspiring media accounts.

Here are a few examples of introvert-ness done right:

A. @lastnightsreading

Introverts' common thread – love for books. Kate Gavino is brilliant in creatively portraying some of the most beautiful quotes and life truths from authors. It positively represents the depth of a book, the value of reading, the time well spent on feeding your soul, going inwards.

B. @iskra

You've probably heard of the beautiful Iskra Lawrence. If not, go check out her Insta and Youtube. Iskra is a model of English origins, fighting the good fight for women and humanity as a whole to be more kind to one another. She's the epitome of "don't judge a book by its cover." Iskra, despite her massive success in the modeling business, and crackling-at-the-seems-online platforms, is also an adorable goofball, brilliant woman, and for the most part, an introverted soul. If you seek reconciliation with oneself about the fact that you're not a hundred percent comfortable being who you are, Iskra is the woman to give you hope.

C. @introvertdoodles

We've covered hobbies, lifestyle, now it's time to have some fun. Introvertdoodles is an account that is a fun way to reflect without actually being miserable. It is imperative to stop putting introvert-ness on a pedestal of self-deprecation. The thing is, it's only a big deal if you make it a big deal. This account is dedicated to processing being an introvert by animated art and comic book-like sequences. Once you accept your preferences, other people will most likely stop questioning them.

Have you watched any movies recently where introverts were displayed in a fun, intelligent way?