This is one of the most common questions I get and now I have a good answer.  This Huffington Post article describes 23 Signs You’re Secretly an Introvert.  Of all the articles I’ve read on this topic – this one hits the mark in an easily digestible way.

This week we will take a closer look at a few of these 23 signs starting with #3.

You often feel alone in a crowd.

Can anyone relate?

I can.

After living in Germany for five years I moved to Vermont to go to college.  What a culture shock!  I didn’t know a single person nor did I know how to use a pay phone in the U.S.  In Germany our favorite past time was dancing at “discos”.  In Vermont people thought I was a dweeb when I asked “are there any discos we can go to?”  Instead everyone went to parties and bars.  I couldn’t stand it and have such poignant memories of feeling alone in a crowd, calling my mom in tears.

And yet I can still feel that alone-in-a-crowd feeling whenever I go to a large networking event, conference, community potluck or other event with lots of people I don’t know.

The difference for me now is that I have context in which to understand this and no longer feel there is something wrong with me.

That is the beauty of this introvert awakening!