In The Introvert Blogs, The Hermit recommends the following strategy:

If you are an introvert that is starting to feel overwhelmed with all that comes with the holidays, allow yourself some time alone to regroup. Go to Starbucks with a good book and get a cup of coffee and read, go to the gym and run on the treadmill for an hour - ignore everyone, go to a movie by yourself, or call a friend who you really, really enjoy and invite him/her out for a coffee or a beer or a bite to eat. You don’t have to go to every party (no, you don’t), and you can take a break from the cookie baking. If you are an introvert and a bit lonely this time of year, spend a little time reaching out to people you are comfortable with or help out at the nearest soup kitchen. You’ll have some of that human interaction that we sometimes want and you’ll feel better.

Wishing you a very PEACEFUL holiday season!

Chill Magazine, the official magazine of The Beer Store, has an article this month called “Christmas with the Co-workers - How to stay sane this season,” by Rebecca Dumais. Along with tips for the office gift exchange and other seasonal topics is a section called “6 Sad But True Office Party Personalities.” One of those personalities, referred to as “the lurker” is described as follows:

whether socially inept or from co-worker disdain, you choose to stand on the outer rings of the party, pretending to look uninterested, or busy.

I have news for you, Ms. Dumais. We aren’t pretending.

No offense taken, however, as the article is written with a good sense of humour, and the issues finishes with this delightful poster that reinforces what I said in my last entry:

This can be an especially draining time of year for introverts, between family gatherings, work parties, and other get-togethers.

The more introverted you are, the more taxing the holidays are likely to be. Extraverts get their energy from people (often from the willing introvert!) while people drain introverts of energy. It has nothing to do with “liking” people, it has to do with the means and mode of relating to people. A party full of strangers, semi-acquaintances and small talk isn’t the introvert’s cup of tea. (Sitting at home along with a toddy in front of the fireplace listening to Luciano Pavorotti’s Christmas concert is not the extravert’s cup of tea!)

Source: The Holiday Rule-of-Thumb, by Susan Dunn, MA, Personal Life and EQ Coach

If you choose not to participate in all the festivities, you may find yourself trying to convince extraverted relatives and co-workers that you’re not Ebenezer Scrooge! Here are a few practical coping strategies - some of them may just work for you:

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