Living Simply and Simply Living

How Much Do We Really Know About  Extroversion? Summer comes with a load of social responsibilities which are created both by your friends and yourself. Even if you're an introvert who is perfectly happy sitting at home, you can't help but feel prone to a fear of missing out. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family but can't even fathom booking a social event for each day of the summer. Just thinking about filling in my calendar to that extent makes me feel exhausted. As I was trolling the internet looking for a cure to my FOMO I discovered an interesting article on the subject of introversion and extroversion. As I haven't thought about a segue between this topic and my next as of yet, I've decided to share it with you.  Introversion is primarily distinguished from extroversion by a need to recover after periods of social interaction. Introverts feel drained after these periods as they typically respond best to low-risk activities with l...

STAR: Which Type of Introvert Are You?   For a long time introverts have been seen by society as shy and socially anxious or awkward. There has been one simple way to define what an introvert is in the science world: the opposite of an extrovert. End of story. Recently, science has begun to break down the stigma behind introversion. Countless studies analyzing the personality trait have been and are currently being released. They've been long awaited. As a personality trait, introversion is understandably more complex than it seems to be at first glance. With the scientific exploration of introversion comes the erosion of real-life barriers in regards to introverts. The ability for us to proudly wear our introspection and other characteristics on our sleeves. To tell a potential employer that you would describe yourself as introverted without dreading their connotation of the word.  I've previously vaguely defined what an introvert is. That definition, however, w...

An Introvert's Guide to Socializing “Blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge.” ~ Paulo Coelho Us introverts thoroughly enjoy our own company. We don't achieve this state of contentment through  simply talking to ourselves. Instead we develop and curate these things called hobbies and thrive inside of our own heads. Our minds are an intricate mess of colour as we address others in shades of grey. Meanwhile, our more outgoing counterparts constantly seek human company and conversation. They find this company in social situations that turn many introverts off. Huge parties or even meeting new people and making plans to see absolute strangers. None of those are things that an introvert will readily partake in. We need some convincing and often times, guidance.  So you're an introvert and/or socially awkwar...

Why Am I Introverted? By definition an introvert is someone who feels charged and energized through spending time alone. Reading a good book, watching a movie, painting, etc. That sounds like a productive and healthy use of time to me. Albeit these arguably higher levels of productivity, introversion is often equated with unhealthy levels of isolation and even anxiety and depression. Odds are if you're an introvert someone, at least one concerned (and extroverted) friend or family member, has told you that you 'don't get out of the house enough'. I do get out of the house and no I don't get bored spending Saturday night alone. Why is it such an awful thing for one to enjoy one's own company? Are people jealous because of my inability to experience boredom? They likely aren't. The stigma around introversion has been built up around a general misconception of what it means to be an introvert and has been around for a long time. Some people are ...

10 Strategies for aspiring Dispositional Optimists In my previous post I discussed what it means to be a dispositional optimist and why its important for us to, at the very least, execute an attempt to take control of our 'default setting'. By this I mean potentially making the change from being a pessimist to an optimist. I didn't delve too far into the variety of techniques an individual can use in order to make said change and instead focused on Dr. Seligman's work and a few of the strategies he includes in his  popular publication,  ' Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life'.   I'd like to simplify things in today's post for those of you that aren't here for the science. A nice and friendly list, 'ten ways' style.  A couple strategies you can use on a daily basis in order to progressively modify your default response. It might be a while before you begin to see results because like any good thing in life, this...

 Optimism: Can we learn to be 'Sunny'? As you may have read in my previous blog post, defensive pessimism is a strategy with a lot of potential for those prone to certain levels of anxiety. However, dispositional optimism still holds a lot more traditional advantages to its name; lower rates of depression, reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, and protection from the common cold to name a few. Companies want to employ positive workers who'll increase efficiency and add to a healthy work environment over more downcast ones. The benefits of being an optimist in today's world are ubiquitous. They might as well sell it in a bottle. Profits would be astronomical. 'The B Positive Serum, the smallest dose will do'.  It doesn't seem fair that pessimists are more liable to a plethora of mental and physical illnesses. So why are some people predisposed to think in a positive fashion while others think in a negative one? Can we change our tendencies ...

  Glass Half Empty? For as long as I can remember I've been surrounded by optimists. My mother, for one, who leaves the room when someone mentions anything remotely negative. She doesn't watch the news in fear that something depressing might have happened overnight. Its 2018. Of course it has. That's not to say that I have anything against these perpetually sunshine-y individuals. I love my mother and appreciate her ability to put a positive spin on literally anything. I wouldn't describe myself as an optimist or a pessimist. In my mind I'm more of a realist. My family and close friends would argue otherwise. Just today one of my best friends told me to "stop being so negative". I asked her what she was talking about and she responded with, "no offense but you're a little pessimistic". I didn't take offense.  I've always wondered why the vast majority of people have something against negativity. Is it really such a bad ...