A Quiet Rant for Quiet People

Have you ever had nothing to say? Some of us know this well. Sometimes we are engaged, listening, observing but we just don’t have anything to add. There’s a carnival of thought in our heads but we don’t feel the need to open the ticket booth. No particular reason. It’s not you, really. It’s us.

Ok, in some cases it’s you. Some of you just need to sit quietly in a corner. ( I’m looking at you, American politicians and pundits)

 Normally, it’s not that we are bored, or that we don’t trust you, or even that we don’t think our voice is valid. We simply can’t get the words to escape. For many of us, people in general just aren’t our thing. We have friends that put us in our comfort zone, and we can get boisterous, opinionated, be the life of the party. Other times we need to recharge.

And we are completely okay with this. We are not weird, weak, or boring. In fact, this is exactly what makes us fun, strong and loving.

Stop asking us what’s wrong. Nothing is. Occasionally we just enjoy being silent. Maybe we are creating, processing, imagining and solving. It’s the quiet ones that see farther and feel deeper and innovate more.  Introverts & empaths expel a lot of personal resources into the world around us. Silence and solitude are a balm to the raw feeling we get after overwhelming social interactions. We feel far too much about everything and far too often put ourselves last. If we spend our day in an environment that requires a lot of interaction, or that depletes our empathy, we need a few moments to ourselves to create more energy for everyone.

“Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Stephen Hawking

We appreciate taking the time to step back and feel things. We experience our thoughts and feelings, letting them develop and mature instead of turning them into anger or a more easily acceptable emotion. We don’t barrel through life, a finger on the trigger of words and actions. Immediate self gratification is not the name of our game.

If you know an introvert, empath, or simply a friend that sometimes gets quiet, let them know you’re there if they need you, but don’t rush to assume something is wrong with them.  Quiet doesn’t always equal sadness. They may just be recharging.