Self-reflection is a key part of personal and professional growth. It helps to increase self-awareness, making it easier to recognise faulty thinking, and identify answers and solutions.
How often do you make the time to be still and self-reflect?
In this episode I discuss the importance of it and how to do it.As we enter the Christmas and New Year holiday period, we are at the time of year which can be very draining for many introverts.
Office parties, Christmas lunches, full-on days at work trying to get everything completed before going off for the Christmas and New Year break. For many, by the time the break comes, and they get time off, they are exhausted. Many then have to contend with all the social gatherings with family and friends which as lovely as they are, drain their energy.
Having lots of social interactions and being in crowded environments for lengthy periods can be overstimulating for introverts and deplete our energy. At this time of year, there can be a lot of this happening.
You may find that after a busy day and going out straight from work to a Christmas event where there is a crowd, loud music (where you can hardly hear people speak), by the time you get home, you are so overstimulated, that it takes you a while to wind down.
You may find it takes you a long time to get to sleep, only to have to get up early for work the next day. Not having had enough sleep on top of the previous day's overstimulation, it is likely you will feel drained.
This happened to me recently. I’d had a wonderful day with a lovely group of people, that required a lot of focus, attention, and interaction. Straight after, I went for a meal in a venue where many groups of people were also having their office Christmas meal. There was loud music playing and I could hardly hear myself think.
Whilst I had a great time, by the time I got home, I felt so overstimulated, that it took me a while to wind down. As a result, I didn’t get much sleep because I had to be up early the following morning, and I felt drained. Thankfully, I had kept my afternoon clear and went for a nice walk in the afternoon which helped me to recharge.
For some introverts, just thinking about such a situation as I described can feel draining. When you feel depleted of energy, you will not feel at your best. Introverts are energised from going inwards and being in quiet environments alone, whereas extraverts draw energy from the environment and people around them.
If you are experiencing introvert drain, you are more likely to want to retreat and be somewhere quiet and on your own rather than interacting and engaging with people at work. But if you’ve got a day full of meetings, this will not be possible.
This is why planning ahead to manage your energy is important. Where possible manage your calendar so that you don’t have back-to-back meetings and other energy-draining activities one after the other. Know your limits and put boundaries in place to protect yourself.
Continuing to push on and be overstimulated can lead to mental and emotional exhaustion, increased stress and anxiety, low motivation, low confidence, and even burnout.
It may not always be possible to avoid overstimulating environments, particularly at this time of year. Where it isn’t, find ways to recharge during the course of the day and the following energy recharge hacks may help:
✔️ Go for a walk outside and if there is a park nearby, even better
✔️ Take short mindfulness breaks during the day
✔️ If you have to go into the office and it is open plan, find a pod or room where you can work alone
✔️ Sit somewhere quiet and listen to music or a podcast during your lunch break
✔️ Journal first thing in the morning or last thing at night
✔️ Get creative and do something that enables you to get into a state of psychological flow
✔️ Have a power nap
Know yourself and know your body so that you are aware when you are experiencing introvert drain and need to take some time out. Put boundaries in place to manage your energy levels so you thrive and enjoy the festive period.
Does self-doubt and low self-confidence keep you stuck or hold you back? If so, join my live 5 Day Mind Cleanse challenge starting on 6 January. Over the course of five days, I will guide you through a daily, 30-minute interactive session designed to help you:
- Silence Self-Doubt: Replace negative thoughts with empowering beliefs.
- Build Lasting Confidence: Cultivate a strong foundation of self-confidence that grows with you.
- Harness Your Quiet Strengths: Learn to lead in a way that feels authentic, without feeling the need to shout to be heard.
- Expand Your Network of Like-Minded Women: Connect with a supportive community of other introverted women. This challenge is not just about personal growth—it’s also an opportunity
