World Introvert Day : According to Days of the Year, World Introvert Day has been celebrated across the globe every Jan. 2 since 2011. It’s no coincidence it falls immediately after New Year’s Day; the idea behind this special day is that introverts take time to recharge their energy after the busy holiday season.
An introvert is a person who prefers to be calm and spend time alone. They have the qualities of a personality type known as introversion, meaning they feel more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts. These people like to spend time with hardly one or two people rather than a group.
Introverts prefer calm environments and limited social engagements and are most happy in their own company. World Introvert Day was brought to life by the popular German psychologist and author of the free e-book “Happily Introverted Ever After,” Felicitas Heyne.
On September 20, 2011, Heyne wrote a blog post titled “Here’s Why We Need a World Introvert Day” It was this article that kick-started the gears leading to the first World Introvert Day. In the article, she said that it was high time the world’s awareness was sharpened to the distinctiveness of introverts. She highlighted some of the discrimination introverts face because of their reclusiveness and bemoaned the under-appreciation of introverts by general society. Heyne suggested that World Introvert Day be created and celebrated on January 2, a date she chose because introverts around the world draw a collective deep breath at the end of the draining holiday marathon that starts with Christmas and ends on New Year.
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung was one of the first people to define introversion as a concept in a psychological context. In his 1921 book, “Psychological Types,” he theorized that every human being falls into two categories — introvert or extrovert — and compared introverts to the ancient Greek god Apollo, who shines a light on understanding. He claimed that introverts are focused on the internal world of reflection, dreaming, and vision, which could make them uninterested in joining the activities of others.
Susan Cain, in her book Quiet, points out that the societal push toward extroversion isn’t always a good thing. It turns out that 1/3 of people are introverts, people like me who would rather read or write than go to parties or speak out about anything anywhere.” She continues, “The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it’s a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers — of persistence, concentration, and insight — to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems. make art, think deeply.” Further noting, “ In a gentle way, you can shake the world.’ -Mahatma Gandhi”
SOURCE: All World Days; National Today; Goodreads
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