Mislabeling myself as an introvert caused me chronic fatigue

Maybe you’re not an introvert.

I moved out of my parents’ house to a small studio where I lived by myself. I was working a remote job. I didn’t know anyone in my new neighborhood. To sum it all up, I was spending a lot of time on my own.

After about three months of living this way, the physical symptoms began to really set in. I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning, even after sleeping for well over eight hours. I would have to take naps in the middle of the day. After eating anything, I would be hit with overwhelming waves of drowsiness. I didn’t know what was wrong.

Eventually, I got a new job. I started going into the office and working with people. Those symptoms largely disappeared.

For the first time in my life, I realized something: I am an extrovert.

I quite literally feel more energized when I’m around people. That’s what it means to be an extrovert.

I spent most of my life believing I was an introvert. Why? Well, I was never the loudest person in the room. At many points in my life, I had been very shy. I had been labeled as shy by people around me and heavily internalized it. This led me deeper into social anxiety, which acted up on and off throughout my life. And, I do find small talk to be slightly…