Am I an introvert or an extrovert?
I have social anxiety, would that automatically make me an introvert? Or does my ADHD make me appear more extrovert because of hyperactivity?
As a child I always had a desire to socialize and play with other children and never got emotionally exhausted from playing with other children.
In a class of 30 children, I was shy and hated speaking up in front of the class (it made me nervous). I also had a fear of being told off by the teacher in front of 30 children, which was why I forced myself to sit still and behave. But this exhausted me, and when I was in the playground or going home, I would be extremely hyper and chatty.
In smaller classes I would be 'class clown', didn't sit still and didn't mind if the teacher told me off.
I can be chatty if I feel comfortable with people as an adult, and I could just sit and chat about anything and everything for hours, and not hog the conversation (I am easy to talk to). At work I like having lunch breaks with my colleagues and I'm interested in people.
But I avoid nightclubs and bars because those places just feel me with social fear. I don't drink so those sorts of places aren't my scene (maybe if I did drink I'll be more inclined to go to these places).
Sometimes I get bored easily at a social gathering and tend to leave early, but time goes quicker if I am chatting to people and I tend to enjoy it more.
As a teenager I went through a phase of being incredibly shy and awkward, and I had trouble speaking to adults like my friend's parents or my aunts and uncles. But I grew out of it and now I enjoy chatting away if they give me their time.
Does this make me introverted or extroverted?
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Female