I saw this comic the other day, and loved it. I often confuse my introversion for depression.
I have not set up my life to support my introversion. I am a teacher, a parent and I have an extrovert partner.
When I get overwhelmed and need to recharge, I often fail to recognize my need for alone time, and mistake it for depression, fatigue or illness. And I hide in bed and watch way too many movies. This does not recharge me. Instead my body hurts, and I feel like crap about how I am spending my time.
The hardest thing to do when I need to recharge is to ask for what I deeply need, which is to be left alone, uninterrupted, for creative time. Rather than a nest of blankets, I need a nest of time, space and art supplies.
What I love about this comic is that the person in need is being so lovingly cared for. It would be wonderful for someone to say, “I set up some paper, water and paints for you. I’m going to leave you alone for a couple of hours.”
The clincher of this comic though, is that the person in the nest is not left alone. As much as I love my solitude, I also love to quietly create with others. The energy of others lost in their own world, I love that.
Amongst my usual tired and recycled New Years’s resolutions, this year I want to commit to providing creative solitude for myself on a more regular basis. I also want to create time for healing creativity with others. We all need it.
Happy New Year.