Reclaiming My Time: Introversion and Authenticity on the Blockchain

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I’m a deep thinker. I like to ponder things, weigh my feelings and values, consider other’s words, and respond when I fully understand myself in relation to the context at hand. If you ask me a question, I will respond in the fullness of time, but I do not like to be rushed.

I often refer to my writing process as “percolating.” I take in information, watch it swirl and settle in my mind, examine it from many different angles, shuffle it into my existing worldview, let it shake things up where necessary, pull it apart, put it back together, filter out what is unnecessary, and then I write. It’s not a fast process, by any means, and if I feel at all pressured, I grow flustered and impulsive. I say things in haste that I later regret, because these things don’t reflect my values or beliefs—they are often only what I think others want to hear, or else peevish words snapped in frustration.

This poses a problem when trying to engage with a massive community like Steemit. There are so many great posts, and so many Steemit and Discord communities to join in and support, each of them deserving of full and authentic engagement. However, reading posts, processing them, and responding with a well thought-out comment takes time and energy. I am excited to participate, but there’s only so many hours in a day, and only so much I can do before it feels like my brain has turned to mush and dribbled out my ears. (Ew.)

So what do I do? I have finite energy. If I push too hard, I will burn out, and then I’ll need to disappear and be useless for days on end. I want to engage and sometimes I can’t; the key is admitting just that. There are a lot of people who promote ways to be successful on Steemit, most of which are geared towards a more extraverted process. Many recommend posting every single day, which is totally impossible for me. I need time to think, to ‘percolate’ my ideas, and I need above all to be true to myself—posting every single day is just way too much for me.

When I come here, I bring my whole self, which is the only way I know how to exist in the world. I’ve been focused on powering up my SP, because the value of this platform (for me, at least) lies in compensating the intellectual and artistic work of others. This is what I want to do with my account.

Tomorrow I’ll have been on Steemit for a month. My reputation score is 47. I’ve started an ongoing fiction story via the awesome #freewrite community. I helped judge a feminist writing contest. I’ve met some wonderful Steemians. It’s been amazing, and it’s been exhausting; a lot of work, requiring a lot of recovery time.

I’m still considering how best to engage with folks moving forward. In the meantime, I’d like to share just a few of my favorite things, apps and such that make my life a little better and help me recover my energy. I’ve also included a list of other introverts who I think bring great content to Steemit.

Photo by Jen P. on Unsplash

Introvert joys:

• Girls Night In Club: a weekly round-up of good reads, fun tips, and relatable content for those of us who like to stay in. (This is a referral link.)

• Spotify: in particular, my ‘Chill Vibes’ playlist—this goes perfectly with some tea and a good read.

• MyNoise: this website/app is a sound generator. It allows you to customize sounds using a variety of slides, and even to combine several boards into a 'multigen'—for instance, I have combined 'Cafe Restaurant,' 'Furry Friend,' and 'Irish Coast' into a multigen I titled "Petting a cat on a rainy day in a cafe on the coast." MyNoise is highly customizable, and I love to use it for creating soothing background noise when I'm feeling anxious or upset. The app is free (I have it on my iPad), but a one-time donation ot support the developer unlocks all of the sound boards, and any future sounds created. I donated ages ago, and it was totally worth it.

• mint truffle hot cocoa: the comfort of a mug of cocoa can really lift up my mood if I’m feeling a little stressed. It’s nice to treat myself when I’m feeling battered by the world.

• Kindle for iPad: I’m currently working my way through the Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath, Wuthering Heights, and Diasporic Africa: A Reader. A book for every mood, eminently portable. Love it.

Fellow introverts:

• @maverickinvictus shared a post the other day about being an introvert: Misconceptions on being Introverts | My life as a wallflower

• @rachelhanson10, “a self-described introvert, channels her introversion to help others build sustainable lives that recognize the needs of the individual as well as the needs of the group”—she’s a totally chill, super supportive person in several Discord groups, and I’m glad to know her!

• @bestowingfire, another really awesome and selfless person I know, is the one behind #shareinspireconquer, and has written about introversion on his own website in the past: http://www.bestowingfire.com/struggles-introvert/

• @idenkcall, who says this about being an introvert: “Sometimes we push our boundries to the limit. It doesn't help that the extroverted world does as well. Sometimes you need to step back from the art, writing, or laptop; take a well deserved break, Or, treat yourself to those mediums. Your choice”

• @aislingcronin, who is such a sweet, compassionate person, recently wrote about introversion in the context of animal rights activism: https://steemit.com/vegan/@aislingcronin/how-i-became-vegan

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Ultimately, I guess the answer to how I get through this is still being true to myself. I love what I’ve seen of Steemit so far. People seem to be building community and supporting each other, especially through the Discord servers. I’ve had great interactions on the @teamgirlpowa server, in Steemit LGBT+, in the @isleofwrite, and on @thesteemengine. I haven’t engaged much in some of the other groups, but I’m looking forward to finding my own way of participating that allows me to protect my energy while building relationships, finding and creating value, and being my whole self.

I don’t know what this will look like tomorrow, next week, or next year, but I want to stick around. And if I disappear for a little bit, I’ll be back—I’m just taking time to rest and recover, so I can come back ready to support others.

Thanks for reading, and if you're an introvert doing your thing here on Steemit, drop me a comment—I'd love to chat!

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