Everyday Stress Relief Hacks for Introverts

Introverts live in a world built by extraverts, and it can feel like being someone’s permanent house guest. 

You have the run of the house and can come and go as you please, but you’re always aware that you’re occupying someone else’s territory and can never feel completely at home. 

Whether it’s at work or in public, you’re navigating the world according to someone else’s blueprint and must try to fit in as best you can. Stress comes with the territory. You'll need to find pockets of peace in your day to balance your energy. Or better yet, develop some strategies to change the dynamics of potentially stressful situations, so they aren’t very stressful at all.

Here are six strategies to help you stay calm and succeed in a world geared for extraverts.

1. Choose engagement over avoidance

As an Introvert, you need private time to recharge your batteries after energy-draining social interactions. But don't use this as an excuse to avoid uncomfortable social situations. As paradoxical as it might sound, decreasing your alone time might be a more effective stress-busting hack in the long run.

Why? Well, too much avoidance will only make you more anxious when you're forced to face those situations—and you can't hide forever! Whereas pushing your tolerance levels little by little will be empowering. It'll help you to build confidence, feel less stressed in social situations, and realize that even when things don't go as planned, it's not the end of the world. Plus, you'll be spending time with friends, family and people who might help you expand your horizons or career.

2. Be a shoulder to cry on

Most people have a lot of things they’d like to get off their chest. Everyone has gripes and grievances, but they also have big plans and ideas that they may not feel comfortable sharing with just anyone.

In a happy coincidence, extraverts want to be heard while introverts are excellent listeners. This can make the two a perfect match. If you’re willing to listen as the extraverts in your life unburden themselves, you'll be rewarded with their gratitude and appreciation. You're much better with one-on-one conversations anyway, so this might be an ideal opportunity to build meaningful connections with people.

Being the keeper of secrets or the shoulder to cry on has another advantage—it turns you from a passive participant in conversations that may veer off in uncomfortable directions into an active listener, the one who has questions and sparks conversations. This can level the playing field as you’re trying to figure out how get along with extraverts who do things differently than you.

3. If multitasking isn’t for you, don't do it

Multitasking is a learned skill. You can learn to do it if it's not your natural way of functioning—but that doesn’t mean you should.

If you're the type of person who likes to perform tasks in a linear fashion, one task at a time until everything is checked off your to-do list, don't feel compelled to do multitasking just because you see others doing it. Trying to do too many things at once might overwhelm you. You'll be working against your natural tendency, which is where mistakes can creep in.

Organizing your week for maximum productivity is a really personal thing. Stick to your own rhythm to keep the energy levels high and prevent burnout. Even for introverts working in extraverted careers, there are strategies for doing things your way. Your boss will judge your contributions by the results you produce, and finding your own flow can lead to better work outcomes.

4. Declutter and organize

There may be some Perceiving types rolling their eyes right now because they tolerate a little mess and clutter! But if life is coming at you fast and you're feeling overwhelmed, one thing you absolutely can take control of is your immediate physical environment.

Many books and articles praise the transformative impact of decluttering and the minimalist lifestyle. If you haven't already, you should sit up and take notice. Decluttering brings calm and order to your psyche by restoring it to the physical spaces you occupy, making your organized space feel like an oasis of peace in a desert of chaos. When you eliminate clutter you’ll be ridding yourself of a source of tension and discomfort that keeps you on edge.

The real trick here is to declutter your way. One introvert's definition of organized might look quite different from another's. You need to find your own standards of what feels right for you, and stick to them. Trust yourself, and make sure your space caters to your needs rather than those of everyone else.  

5. Limit your social media exposures

Almost anyone can get stressed by social media scrums and that's before we factor in the envy you may feel when you see people living it up on their social media feeds. But for introverts, too much exposure to other people's "perfect" lives can be especially draining. Tune out regularly so you can focus on your own goals!

Even when social media activity is relatively benign, introverts who stay online for a long time are filling their brains with (meaningless) data. This is a drain on your energy, whether it feels like it or not. Plus, the interactions you have on social media are mostly a dead-end street. You're probably not having deep conversations or building meaningful connections there. Don't pretend to be a social butterfly on social media when you can use your energy more wisely elsewhere.

6. Be open about who you really are

It has often been said that knowledge is power. In this instance, it’s the knowledge of other people that can bring greater power to you.

There is no reason you should keep your needs as an introvert secret. There's nothing wrong with being introverted, and you cannot expect to receive consideration from others unless they actually know you need it.

You don’t have to make any of it sound like a revelation. You can just simply and in a matter-of-fact way tell your boss that you’re at your best when working alone or that you'd rather not schedule an entire day of meetings if possible. Or tell a friend that you'd rather go to a quiet restaurant than a noisy bar.

You may live in an extravert's world, but extraverts are empathetic toward introverts who are honest with them and tell them what they need to feel secure. We're all human. When introverts say what they need to be comfortable, it will be granted—and gladly.