What it's really like to be an Ambivert

There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in the lunatic asylum. ~ Carl G Jung

Introvert this, extrovert that; Not a day goes by that I don’t see an article that talks about the problems that these personality traits face. Well, what about us, the ambiverts?

I have been known as the lively, fully extroverted Marcel for the better part of my life; or at least I thought I was. Come to think of it, maybe I’ve been an introvert all of my life that pretends to be an extrovert? On the one hand, I thrive within the company of others. It energizes me, it gives me power, it gives me exuberance. However, when it ends and I'm all alone in my room, I just realize that "Hey, that level of interaction really drains me eh?" On other conditions, I love my quiet time alone to reflect or do my own thing, but guess what - all in a sudden with no warning whatsoever I feel lonely and my thoughts are all over the place which leads me to frantically looking for a bunch of mates that I could ask to hang out with. 

I never see myself “fit” into either category very well. Personality test results are always inconclusive for me. I appear to be all over the place. Funny thing is, the rest of my personality test stays the same, only the first letter which determines my personality changes - either I/E. After having some deep research on Google, it turns out that I am both an introvert and extrovert, (or maybe neither, depending on how you look at things). I’m not confused, I’m just an ambivert. The term “ambivert” maybe new to you, but it may also define and shed some light on your own personality traits.

To simplify it, an ambivert is a person who has both introvert and extrovert qualities and may bounce between the two.  Sounds a tad bi-polar, right? It can seem to be that way sometimes, but honestly it’s more of a need for balance. The ambivert loves social settings and being around others, but we also need our solitude. Too much time on either the introvert or extrovert side will make us moody and unhappy. Balance is the key for us ambiverts.

With that being said, being an ambivert can sometimes be a confusing to others - especially to my friends. Having both traits, I can sway too far in either direction rather easily. My behaviors are likely to change depending on the situation, and I can easily become what people like to call as “unbalanced.” One of the traits I really hate of myself is one day, I could enjoy the time of doing something… until I don’t. One day I could be all fun and happy, but the next day - I could be the moodiest person you've ever met.

Tiring? Of course. Challenging? Definitely. Confusing? Not really. Cause being an ambivert puts me “in the middle”, as a flexible creature. We have our personal preferences, of course, but we adjust pretty well in most situations (as long as we don’t stay there too long and get bored or unbalanced). We can work well alone or in groups. We can take charge or step down when the situation calls for it. We also have game plans in order for most things or potential problems that may arise.  On the down side, this level of flexibility can cause us to be indecisive - which I'm highly known for lol.

However, in my (almost) 24 years of existence as an ambivert, I've noticed that most Ambiverts have a good understanding of people and different surroundings/settings. We are highly intuitive and can sense the emotions of others while likely being able to relate to them in many ways. We aren’t afraid to talk, but we also like to observe and listen. We are likely to know when to help or stay back.

The truth is, personality goes way beyond a simple label, but having some understanding about the different traits can help you to understand yourself and others better and perhaps make you more successful in your daily life. So, if you can relate to the above, you just may be an ambivert too.

So, what are you? Lemme know on the comments below.

Till next post,

Marcel