Introverted round-up

Those who follow this blog will know that I've been struggling with introversion - and I mean, while I definitely am introverted (case in point: my two favourite days of the week are devoid of people), I'm not even that extreme. So I hate to think how hard some people find it to navigate the world. Here are three things that have been a massive help:

1. Crafting my week. For me this means two days of downtime and recuperation - Saturday and Monday. Saturday is my rest day, when I retreat from the world and especially from my responsibilities. This is particularly important given how people-intense and weighty my ministry job is. Saturday is a day for rest, for creativity, for living simply and in the moment. Then comes Sunday with its many people. Monday is my thinking and writing day. I sit in my bedroom or lounge room all day long and don't talk to anyone. I think through complex things, I give expression to my thoughts, and sometimes I read articles or books. I'd go crazy if I didn't have these two days in my week. I do realise that not everyone is free to structure their week as they please - it's one of the blessings of doing fulltime ministy, but maybe you could still tweek it a little.
2. Cutting myself slack afterhours. In the past I have felt guilty and complicated when I passed on an evening or weekend social event and when I never initiated such. But then I realised that I'm working with people all the time in my job, giving myself to them and (hopefully) being a blessing to them. This counts. And if I don't have the emotional energy left to spend lots of social time with acquaintances and even with friends, that's okay.
3. Enjoy people. My recent ephiphany really has worked!