Before I discovered the unique personality traits that come with being an introvert, I never knew about or understood how to get out of the negative thought spiral in which many introverts are prone to getting trapped. 

I was trapped in that dreaded spiral for a good period of time before my watershed event in which I discovered the powers and pitfalls of introversion. 

How I came to be trapped in the spiral prior to my turning point started with questioning my ability to be a leader based on my military rank and position at the time; I just couldn’t shake the self-doubt that I had. 

On top of that, I was lacking a feeling of satisfaction in my day to day work; I was stuck in an endless cycle of doing administrative paperwork and never got the feeling that I was accomplishing anything meaningful. 

With these two elements combined, they created a spiral of never ending negative thought that I couldn’t escape. What made matters worse was the weather being overcast during that time, and it’s true what they say about gloomy weather, it really does compound the already heavy feelings of depression. 

To top it all off, I felt like I had nobody to turn to or talk with at work about how I was feeling. But that wasn’t necessarily true because I worked with plenty of people that I could have confided in; however, I really didn’t feel like explaining my situation to someone I wasn’t comfortable sharing such personal information with. 

I now realize that this can be a barrier when it comes to simply asking for help. 

I also just wanted someone to notice that I wasn’t feeling well and actually ask me how I was doing. The adage that you might never know what the person next to you is going through became very evident to me at that point, because that person was me. 

I sat in a cubicle with at least six other people and came to work each day feeling increasingly terrible and unmotivated to do anything. I literally stared at my computer screen most of the day and nobody seemed to bat an eye. 

Was that selfish of me? Maybe. But I think deep down I just want to know that someone cared enough to ask; and someone did finally ask when they saw me out and about one day. Just that small gesture made me feel better and somehow made what I was going through much more real. 

That week of my life was the most in-depth feeling of depression I have ever experienced – the physical and mental fatigue from being stuck in that downward spiral became very real. 

Luckily I was able to break out of that when I made my discovery about introversion; it was a life-changing experience to find out that I am not the only person to think or feel this way. Now that I can better identify the warning signs of getting sucked into that thought spiral, I am much more aware of how to break out of it. 

The best way I have found to break out of this spiral now is to do what I was too stubborn to do the first time – talk to somebody. Just getting the feelings out in the open really helps, even if it’s just writing them down or text messaging with a friend, family member, or acquaintance. 

Also, one thing I have to remember is to ask people how they are feeling and offer to talk if I sense that they might be going through a similar situation. Much like I experienced, you just never know what the person sitting next to you might be going through, so it never hurts to ask.