Okay, it wasn’t a real cave. The time I actually went spelunking was a WILD adventure. This was much more a metaphorical cave that I put myself in.

And I am just coming out of the cave.

Last year, I went through a severe depression. Not just sadness but actual depression. I didn’t even know I was depressed until I listened to the first part of this podcast.

It prompted me to reach out and get professional help from a licensed therapist.

I will share much more about that journey after the story is completed.

Part of what supported me was leaning into my introversion. I knew that spending time alone, reflecting, organizing, exercising, therapy, meditating, reading, planning, and continuing to work to care for myself and my family was critical to my recovery. 

I declined social invitations. I canceled those that were on my calendar. If it wasn’t work-related, I chose not to interact with others. 

I tell you that story because I think that sometimes introverts get a bad rap. In a world that seems to value loud, bold, extroverted behavior, we oftentimes feel SHAME for our introversion. 

I still performed keynote speeches, trained, coached, and did all the things that I love to do in my mission to help others speak up for myself, and I recognized how those extroverted activities were going to deplete my social battery much faster than usual.

So, I rested more and saved my energy for my audiences and clients. 

Being an introvert does not mean that you have to be extroverted. It does, however, mean that you get to speak up your story when you need to, even at the cost of your energy, but never at the cost of your health.

I know I disappointed a lot of friends and family during my time living in the introvert cave, and I also know that they 100% understood that it wasn’t me hiding but me healing. That’s an important distinction that I hope we can make for introverts everywhere. 

So, to my fellow introverts, get off mute and keep speaking up your story.