Being an introvert can definitely create lonely moments. Yes, we like to be alone a lot of times. In fact, that's often when we recharge and get back the energy we need to interact with others. Still, it can be a little scary to look around and realize no one else is there.
Instead of making the loneliness run even deeper by just sprawling out on the couch, we can be intentional about creating moments to help prevent it, to begin with. Bottom line, introverts get lonely too, and this is how we can fight it:
Be In The Moment When You’re Around Others
As introverts, most of us love to be in a room full of people, we just don't care to talk or interact all the time. We might look like we're bored and scrolling through social media wishing we were anywhere else but there. Yet in reality, we could be having a blast. It's all good and great until we end up in a room by ourselves and still feel like something is missing. Something that can help fight loneliness is to be in the moment when those people are around.
Even though we're introverted, we still thrive off of relationships and interaction just like everyone else. Something that has worked for me is to find someone to connect with one-on-one if you're uncomfortable addressing the whole group at a time. That will help you break the ice and slowly feel more at ease with interacting. You don't necessarily have to lead the group, but you can at least be a part of it. Then when you're by yourself, you'll more likely feel relief and peace rather than loneliness and wanting more.
Take A Break From Social Media
Because we might not express things verbally, we tend to let them simmer and fester on the inside, and scrolling on social media doesn't really help that. Looking at friends, family and even stranger's highlight reels can make us, or really anyone for that matter, focus inward and start to think that they aren't living their best life to the fullest. Coming across a snapshot of a group of people hanging out together might make you feel lonely and left out, but in reality, you might not have even desired to be there because you were perfectly fine having a quiet night at home.
Still, seeing other people do it has the power to make you feel like you're doing something wrong and you need to get out there to make friends so you can post those same kinds of photos. While it might be 100 percent true that you need to get out of your comfort zone, using social media as a foundation can be more detrimental than helpful.
Don’t Cancel Plans
I used to be really bad at this one. It happens when you're in this weird space between loneliness but not really feeling like being around anyone. Yes, that can exist. I remember being invited to someone's birthday party and as much as the idea of going sounded great, I didn't feel like it! I wanted to just stay home and chill. But because I was in high spirits when I accepted the invitation, I felt like I couldn't' cancel. And I didn't want to revert to the habit of not going places I was invited.
I ended up going and had so much fun. In the end, most of the time we're always glad we didn't cancel and decided to go through with any plans. Ultimately, that's what helps us fight those temptations to cancel. When we're lonely, it's ironically so easy to want to just be around ourselves yet want to be around others for security. We have to be careful not to let loneliness be the reason we flake out on friends who might be depending on us, or the opportunity to meet and establish new friendships.
Do Something Kind
It's crazy how being nice to someone else can get us out of our own little lonely funk. While we might be waiting for someone else to give us a pick-me-up by expressing kindness to us, it can be just as fulfilling (if not more) when we extend that kindness to someone else. I know it takes a lot to get out of our bubble and comfort zone to be intentional about showing kindness. It's not that we aren't kind, it's just figuring out a way to express it that can get murky.
Whether it's sending a thank-you card to someone or buying something you saw them admiring, acts of kindness can be a trick to getting out of loneliness. It's not to necessarily get something out of it, it just makes us get out of ourselves and our own heads.
Have A Goal For Getting Social
Setting a goal to have at least one social interaction with someone a day can make a major difference in kicking those lonely emotions. Doing things like meeting someone new or initiating a conversation with someone instead of being on the receiving end are just a couple of ways to having meaningful social interactions with others that can help keep us fulfilled.
These interactions don't always have to be with strangers, you can show your appreciation by interacting with those who are already in your life. If there's a friend who you don't talk to unless they call, make the move and call them first. If you're always getting invited but never doing the inviting, host a girl's night and invite your closest friends over. And while you're there, engage, be vulnerable and have fun!
Featured image by Getty Images.
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak