Extroverted Arthritis
I was actually going to write a post about the difference of 'shy' and 'introverted.' But, since I found a way to relate being an introvert to arthritis, the topic has changed quite a bit.
... But just so you know the difference, to be shy is to fear social rejection. To be an introvert means that you gain energy from being by yourself and an extrovert gains energy from being around people, among other things that vary from person to person and also is not extremely relevant to the topic. Now you know.
Anyway, in a lot of ways I think that Arthur is an extrovert. He's an extrovert who only wants to be with me. You see, he needs his energy because of all the fatigue so he hangs out with me a lot, which is bad for me because I am an introvert and need time away. Arthritis also causes me to miss out on some things, like when my friends go roller skating because he is so annoying and won't stop bothering my joints so I don't get to use the energy I've been saving (not to mention excitement). Sometimes he even wants to be around other people, pointing out my weird knees or the way I walk to them without even a word. And the worse part of all is since I don't know any kids with arthritis locally, nobody understands this terrible relationship!
So, I've decided that although Arthur is an extrovert, he has to use all the energy he's stored from being with me. And trust me, that is tons of energy. So, everyday I'm challenging myself to ignore his annoyance so maybe he'll burn some of that energy by being alone. It may be a relaxing art project or an outing with friends, it could be anything that lets me forget the pain, even for a few minutes. Even a bit of meditation works wonders.
So far, Arthur is responding well. I hope it keeps up.
*NEVER ignore your pain, it's sometimes a warning that you are pushing yourself too far. Don't over do anything. Work up to doing more than you usually would.
... But just so you know the difference, to be shy is to fear social rejection. To be an introvert means that you gain energy from being by yourself and an extrovert gains energy from being around people, among other things that vary from person to person and also is not extremely relevant to the topic. Now you know.
Anyway, in a lot of ways I think that Arthur is an extrovert. He's an extrovert who only wants to be with me. You see, he needs his energy because of all the fatigue so he hangs out with me a lot, which is bad for me because I am an introvert and need time away. Arthritis also causes me to miss out on some things, like when my friends go roller skating because he is so annoying and won't stop bothering my joints so I don't get to use the energy I've been saving (not to mention excitement). Sometimes he even wants to be around other people, pointing out my weird knees or the way I walk to them without even a word. And the worse part of all is since I don't know any kids with arthritis locally, nobody understands this terrible relationship!
So, I've decided that although Arthur is an extrovert, he has to use all the energy he's stored from being with me. And trust me, that is tons of energy. So, everyday I'm challenging myself to ignore his annoyance so maybe he'll burn some of that energy by being alone. It may be a relaxing art project or an outing with friends, it could be anything that lets me forget the pain, even for a few minutes. Even a bit of meditation works wonders.
So far, Arthur is responding well. I hope it keeps up.
*NEVER ignore your pain, it's sometimes a warning that you are pushing yourself too far. Don't over do anything. Work up to doing more than you usually would.
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