Quotes about....

Learning

“A library is a hospital for the mind.”

“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

“Live as if your were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

- Gandhi (1869-1948)

"Learning is a treasure which accompanies its owner everywhere"

“The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as long as we live."

Quotes about....

Reading


"To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.”

“The greatest gift is a passion for reading.”

“How my life has been brought to undiscovered lands, and how much richer it gets - all from words printed on a page.... How a book can have 560 pages, but in only three pages change the reader's life.”

“To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry.”
Credit goes to: http://www.readfaster.com/readingquotes.asp

Going to the cinema

For some reason I felt more nervous going to the cinema today then I did last week. Its mainly due to the anti depressants making my vision so blurred. This makes me feel so paranoid that I am going to have a seizure and makes it harder for me to go out and do things. Thats why in weak moments I feel as if I am getting worse. I'm not really, its just the side effects of my anti depressants (and beta blockers) that make it seem that way.

The whole time I was watching the film I felt this internal urge to walk out and just come bach home, but I really wanted to stay and see the film - so I focused on the movie, "My afternoons with Margueritte". I'm glad I did because despite of the nerves I really enjoyed myself and it was a great film. It was a French film (with English subtitles) about a largely built man who everyone ridicules (calling him stupid) who forms a very strong friendship with a petite and kind elderly lady. He finds it difficult to read but she reads to him and shows the great joy that books can bring, changing his life forever.

I love films like this that inspire me to fully indulge my passion for reading, after all..

"He that loves a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently divert and pleasantly entertain himself, as in all weathers, as in all fortunes."

xoxo

Disabling doubts

I know I haven't been posting for quite a few days but its been a very rough and difficult couple of days. I'd been doing so well, fighting really hard to beat my agoraphobia and after I had been to the cinema I felt like I was really getting somewhere in getting my life back. But then I had to see my psychologist for another session of my CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), and things got a lot worse. I always get so nervous and anxious a few days before I have to go to the mental health clinic - I hate the whole thing: getting to the clinic, sitting in the waiting room, and then talking to the psychologist for about 30 mins to an hour.
Often when I leave he has said something that makes me feel worse.

He seemed to be very pleased with my progress and told me that it is important for me to focus on what I have been able to do rather than on how I am feeling. Being an introvert makes this very difficult as I have always focused on my emotions and my 'internal world'. But then he kept asking me if it is getting easier for me to go outside yet. This may sound ridiculous but this made me feel horrible, like everything I had achieved was for nothing. I felt like I should be doing a lot better than I am - even though the week before I felt like I was well on my way on the road to recovery! Its quite ironic too than the one person who is supposed to make me feel better is the one person who makes me feel worse, lol.

It was probably silly letting what he said make me feel worse about my progress, but I am just so scared of the idea of the agoraphobia and anxiety getting worse.

I think it is getting easier though, its just that the anti depressants make my eyes feel unfocused and blurred, and also make me feel so tired and dizzy all the time. So when I go out all of this makes it seem as if I'm getting worse but really I have come a long way. Only a little while ago I could barely make it to my back garden and now I am going out for long walks, going shopping round the city, and even going to the cinema :)

And today I plan to go to the cinema again, so here's to progress!

Facing fears instead of running from them

Yesterday I faced a big milestone in overcoming my epilepsy anxiety and agoraphobia, a big obstacle that I managed to overcome! I haven’t been able to go to the cinema ever since becoming more and more anxious about my epilepsy, and I used to love going to the cinema so much. It was always a kind of a pick-me-up whenever I was feeling down, to go the cinema (as you may have guessed, alone). I have really missed it and there have been so many films that I have wanted to see :(

I was nervous all yesterday morning about going, I kept feeling that I was not ready for this big step yet – the thought of sitting in a room for two hours with other people around me only added to my agoraphobic fears. So I tried to take a bit of the pressure off by thinking if I go that will be great but if I don’t then I’ll just try again another time. But I think deep down in my heart I was determined to go. I must have been secretly determined because in the afternoon I was walking the 20 minute walk to my local cinema in the pouring rain, etc. But that was not the hardest part.

The hardest part was when I entered the cinema to find crowds of people queuing up for tickets. What was making it worse was that my anti depressants can often make my vision blurred – which made me so scared that I was going to have a seizure. I stood there so tempted to run out and walk back home again, but I kept telling myself ‘you’ve come this far, if you keep going you will feel such a sense of achievement’. I also kept thinking about what someone (who is also epileptic) told me a few years ago ‘If you have a seizure and people have a problem with it, then that’s their problem not yours’.

I was so relieved when I had bought the tickets and was sitting in ‘Screen 2’ waiting for the film, ‘The kids are alright’ to start. All I had to do now was focus on the film and just enjoy this experience like I did before I developed bad nerves. The film was great, with some funny moments too which really helped to calm my nerves. I soon began to relax and really enjoy the film. When it finished and I was leaving I felt so happy. I couldn’t believe that I had actually done it, I had actually sat in a cinema (like I used to love doing) with people around me for 2 hours. It was the longest I have been outside since becoming ill with anxiety!

Overcoming this obstacle must have been so good for me because I had a wonderful (and very vivid dream) about the girls who bullied me when I was in high school. In the dream I walked right up to them saying that they had been the root cause of my problems and they were not going to get away with it. I then pushed them right across the room like they would have if I had told any of the teachers what was going on. I have always dreamt about the bullies but I have never had a dream where I have been the victor, lol.

It’s true that we can often achieve more than we think we can. It just takes a huge amount of determination.

xoxo

Thoughts on Christmas

For all you fab introverts out there, how do you feel about Christmas?
I love Christmas, but then I am lucky as my Christmas involves a peaceful and wonderful xmas with just my mum and dad, who appreciate my introversion. If I had to deal with lots of relatives (e.g. aunt's, uncles, cousins, etc) I wouldn't be as enthusiastic!

Best thing about Introversion

I was very happy yesterday to have finally received my copy of the book: "The introvert advantage: How to thrive in an extrovert world" by Marti Laney. I've loved reading it so far, its a great book that focuses on working with your personality instead of working against it.

I've been thinking about the things I have read and my own feelings about being an introvert and its true what Marti Laney says, there are excellent advantages to being an introvert.

I especially like the idea that Marti Laney introduces :  extrovert vs introvert  =  breadth vs depth.
For example, even though I don't enjoy social situations anywhere near as much as an extrovert, I have the ability to experience things much deeper than an extrovert does. Like when I went to Paris with my mum (who is an extrovert), and she wanted to race around - going to as many attractions as we could fit into the 4 days. I didn't enjoy racing around as much as she did because it didn't really give me a chance to really absorb the experience of seeing all these things. I convinced my mum to let me go to the Paris Opera House twice and I loved really absorbing the historical beauty of the Opera House - it was one of the best experiences of my life. She couldn't experience this wonderful place as deeply as I could, she was constantly focusing on lots of other places she wanted to fit into the subsequent days! She could never enjoy sitting somewhere and just reflecting on something deep and important, but this is something that I love doing.

Speaking only for myself, being able to reflect on various very deep topics and truly feel the depth of life, rather than the breadth of life, is the best part of being an introvert.

xoxo

Daily Introvert Quote

"Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except your self." (The Buddha, Siddhartha Gotama)

http://www.introvertcentral.com/Quotes_on_Introversion.cfm

Musings

I cannot tell you how pleased I was to return to my studying once again today. But then again, I am always eager and enthusiastic to study. There is something so wonderful about learning new things and improving the mind. It also gave me an excuse not to venture out into the pouring rain this morning – but of course it is beautiful sunshine now, lol.

What’s more, Psychology is the perfect subject for the analytical introvert! I seem to have really taken to this subject, much more than other subjects I have studied in the past such as mathematics and history (though my passion for history still remains).

Its hard for me to find things to do outside, being an extrovert. And the problem is that as I am going through CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) to overcome agoraphobia I have to venture out as much as humanly possible during the week. There is only so many different things to do. There are no lovely country walks nearby, just a small selection of shops :( I have to admit I am not a lover of shopping, I try to enjoy it but in my heart its always something I have to do, rather than something I want to do.

The two places I enjoy going to are the cinema (I wish there was something good on there at the moment!) and the library. So I really hope that the weather improves so that I can do some of my studying at the main library in Winchester :)

xoxo

Daily Introvert Quote

"Only in quiet waters do thing mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."
(Hans Margolius)

* http://www.introvertcentral.com/Quotes_on_Introversion.cfm - this site has some great quotes for all you introverts out there!

Self realisation - introvert pride!

Looking back on the past 25 years of my life, I cannot think of a time when I didn't feel like a fish out of water, like there was something wrong with me, like I was on another planet from everyone else. I always seemed to be so different from everyone else, in a way that was difficult to explain. How could I say that faced with a situation involving groups (or even worse crowds) of people, I would feel miserable? That I didn't want to go out to any parties, that I hated pubs and clubs or that I didn't want to socialise with any more than one person at a time? For this I would have been called anti social, lol!How could I explain that I hated trying to make small talk and longed for deep and meaningful conversations about history, how important intellect and learning was to me, psychology, philosophy? Or even worse - that the times when my heart and soul has truly felt happiness has been when I have spent time with just my incredible mum and dad, when I have read a fascinating book in my room, or spent the afternoon in my room studying a subject that I have a passion for? For this, many have found me to be boring. I've always felt like the odd one out, even when I have tried I never ever quite fit in. For so long I felt that there was something wrong with me. And most of all, I felt like I was the only one who is like this - but I was wrong.

It seems to me that Western society is utterly and completely extroverted. People 'should' be outgoing, sociable, bubbly and, younger people especially, normally go to parties and have large groups of friends and lots of other people who they love to spend lots of time with. Society seems to view introversion as a problem - whereby an introvert is seen as an anti-social hermit, who needs help to improve their confidence and to improve their social life - so that they can be like everyone else.

I confess though that my harshest critic has been myself. I did not want to see myself as someone who could be viewed as some kind of anti-social, hermit. I tried to actually enjoy going to pubs and parties, not focusing so much on intellect and studying and tried to get to know different people. But it felt wrong, I was trying to be someone else and it made me feel even more awkward and weird than I ever did before!
It made me miserable and exhausted me - there's nothing more tiring than trying so hard to be someone you're not! But I hated to admit to myself that I was bored with normal small talk, that I was much happier studying and focusing on improving my mind. I've always felt ashamed of the way I am, that maybe I should be more outgoing, more 'sociable'.

Until now, I had no idea that there was any such thing as an introverted personality. Reading the internet articles about the signs of an introverted personality, I couldn't believe how much their descriptions were completely explaining what my personality has always been like. No one has ever been able to understand me (not even me in some ways). When I work somewhere and I'm the new girl - everyone always seems to think that I am weird, but suddenly so much about me makes sense. And, even more surprising, I discovered that in the way that I am and the way that I have felt about my personality - I am not alone.

For the first time I think I really see and understand myself. I feel no shame or guilt that maybe I should be the way society would wish me to be. I feel proud. I'm not an anti social hermit - I would like one close friend. But I don't need lots of people around me to feel happy. I feel very lucky to have an amazing mum and dad who love me completely for who I am. I'm not an extrovert - bubbly and outgoing - but I am intelligent, I'm very kind, and I feel things very deeply with a heart that hopes that one day everyone can understand that introversion is not a problem, infact it can often be a blessing in disguise.

Whether you are introvert or extrovert, be proud of who you are.

xoxo