Stress and the extroverted introvert

Stress and the Extroverted Introvert

            I think stress is the basis of psychiatric illness. Depression, mania, anxiety and/or paranoia are the likely outcomes. Excluding mania’s false confidence, these reactions lead to isolation and introversion, because being around others while depressed, anxious or paranoid aggravates those conditions. Guilt and self-loathing stemming from depression is highlighted by the presence of any surrounding mentally well people. Failure to integrate raises anxiety, even leading to anxiety about being anxious. Group memberships, for example in social, religious or work contexts, feed paranoia. Efforts to read people’s minds when we are unwell, in my opinion, are the single most futile and debilitating habits we can have. Ultimately, we assume people are thinking bad things and anxiety worsens. This is logical. Mentally well people don’t waste energy in this pointless manner. The answer has a root found in part in Christ’s words. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within.” I interpret this as happiness cannot be found in the world. It is found within our-selves. When we become us and we identify with nothing other than ourselves, i.e. the “I am” or “I am me,” then we are shielded by honesty and protected from attack. Despite our uniqueness, we have equality with similarly realised people that embrace “I am.” These people are detached from false assumptions, memberships, titles, social ranks, pecking orders and dependencies, to ultimately compete with themselves alone. When I was a teenager I heard a young women on television, she had learning disabilities and said, “I’m Gaynor. I’m me.” She totally nailed it. That’s all there is to it.