Читать книгу The Quiet Rise of Introverts - Brenda Knowles - Страница 10

The Quiet Rise of Introverts: 8 Practices for Living and Loving in a Noisy World seeks to show introverts how to reduce anxiety and create interdependence in their lives. It is organized with the maturity continuum in mind.

Each chapter explains a challenge within the introvert’s growth process. The practice described in each chapter provides relief for those challenges. Tangible action steps at the end of each section help you apply the solution to everyday living and loving.

The book starts with a look at the pressure we feel to mold our personalities to align with the extrovert ideal. We are dependent on the approval of others, so we conform. Wearing an extroverted mask takes a toll on our energy reserves and our self-esteem, often causing anxiety and depression.

To alleviate the stress of living falsely, we must strive for independence from the extroverted identity. We have to take the time and space to gain self-awareness and appreciation.

 • Practice One helps the introvert deal with the challenges of the loud, rapid-paced culture we live in. Slowing down allows us to pay attention and hear the voice within us, dying to give direction

 • Practice Two offers knowledge and tips to help calm our nervous system without feeling guilty. Introverts tend to have easily stimulated nervous systems. A challenge we often face is a feeling of selfishness if we spend too much time in self-care

 • Practice Three teaches the reader how to be true to himself or herself in the inner and outer world—how to confront our character weaknesses, develop self-discipline, and take action to express ourselves

Practices four through eight take us outside of our comfort zone. They move us from self to self plus other, from independence to interdependence.

 • Practice Four helps us move past our belief that it is weak to need others. It is OK to rely on others, beneficial even

 • Practice Five shows us how to face and even embrace conflict. In this chapter, we see how pain teaches us about ourselves and confrontation sparks growth

 • Practice Six, like practice two, focuses on the nervous system, but practice six teaches us how to calm our partner’s nervous system rather than our own. We rise to the challenge of maintaining a high level of responsiveness within our relationship

 • Practice Seven moves us from interactions with our small circle of family and friends to the larger venue of community. We explore how to contribute to the world and cultivate purpose, without running out of energy

 • Lastly, Practice Eight is a lesson in lifelong maintenance and curiosity that leads to a balance of inner and outer worlds for the introvert. It is a practice of creating harmony with others without forgetting ourselves

If you feel pulled between your need for solitude and other’s need for your presence and attention, this book will help you. You will gain understanding, insight, and applicable action steps by following the maturity process outlined within its pages. It is possible to be an introvert within healthy and secure relationships.