We all have that one bad day at the office. The kind of day that sits with you until you get home. The kind of day where you feel as if you’ll potentially miss a deadline or one where a project might fall through. Maybe if you’re really unlucky, it’s the day when you finally mustered the courage to ask your boss for a raise, only to be met with a flat refusal. Sometimes it’s not even one bad day, but a string of bad days or inconveniences at work that eat away at our very souls.
All of this negativity tends to cumulate in the form of stress. Every working adult has to go through it at some point. However, it’s how one deals with that stress that determines who they are on the inside. This article aims to explore not only the kinds of stressful situations one may face at the office but also how people on the spectrum of introversion and extroversion deal with said stress. If you keep reading, you might also find tips to resolve your own stressful situations!
Table of Contents
The Not-So-Subtle Differences Between Introverts and Extroverts
Introverts are usually seen as timid, while extroverts are seen as more outgoing.
Introversion: The Power of Silence
Introverts on the surface seem like people who are very shy, quiet folk. They don’t engage others directly and actively try to avoid social interaction. Or so you would think. There is a common misconception that when approached with social interaction, introverts tend to regress rather than express. However, this is more of a generalization than the active norm. Introverts are mostly people who prefer minimum social interaction and less stimulation than normal. They enjoy recharging in their own space.
When it comes to interaction, though, they can be just as loud and energetic as extroverts. But this doesn’t mean they actively crave or embody this energy; it’s more of a reaction to the world around them. If anything, the burst of social energy allows them to keep socializing, even though ultimately it drains them of their overall battery.
Extroversion: The Power of Expression
Extroverts are similar to introverts in that people have a general idea of how they act and behave. Much like introverts, there is a great deal of overlap between them and introverts. At their core, extroverts embody a great sense of energy, are outgoing, and tend to crave a greater deal of stimulation. According to research, extroverts are just introverts who tend to be more extroverted more often. This means that overall introverts and extroverts fit a very similar mold. However, as this article will explore, it can be assumed that both kinds of people face workplace stress in very different ways.
The Different Strokes For Different Folks
Workplace stress comes in many different forms; let’s analyze how both introverts and extroverts accumulate stress from said pressure.
Introversion: Pressure Given Overtime
As stated before, introverts prefer being alone. This includes being able to work alone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, introverts flourished due to working from home being the new norm. Working never was this easy. No more worry of knowing you’d have to talk to that one co-worker who you more often than not didn’t want to see.
But we live in a post-pandemic world now. The status quo has shifted back to what it used to be. Going to the office, sitting down with people, and engaging in the daily conversations we take for granted. If you ask introverts what workplace stress is for them, they will tell you that this is it. Of course, it sounds odd that workplace stress has little to do with working. But for introverts, working is something that comes naturally. Being forced to communicate with others, however, does not.
When it comes down to the wire, the greatest form of stress an introvert will take is through interaction. Working in the office is a major battery drain when doing so with other people. It’s a constant sprint that ultimately pays off very little, as co-workers aren’t always friends. So if anything, introverts have it quite difficult when it comes to workplace stress.
Extroversion: Stress Under Duress
Unlike their introverted counterparts, extroverts are usually go-getters. Communication, teamwork, and generally speaking, other people are what give them the energy to keep going.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was extroverts who suffered the most. Work is one of the few places where one can receive constant social stimulation. Not only being cut off from the office but also the rest of the world left a lot of extroverts as deflated as introverts during parties.
Of course, this doesn’t mean extroverts are some sort of superhumans who can overcome any challenge thrown at them. Like with anything in life, if extroverts don’t practice their work in moderation, then ultimately they will be unable to lift themselves to the standards of work they aim to achieve.
Burn Out: How Do Loud and Quiet Gas Out?
Anybody unable to cope with stress will eventually face some form of burnout. Let’s explore how stress for introverts and extroverts can result in burnout.
Introverts: Left to Ash and Dust
When it comes to burnout, introverts tend to keep to themselves. This can be seen as both positive and negative. On one hand, remaining isolated helps introverted people recharge themselves. In not interacting with others, they can brainstorm and overcome challenges in their own time.
However, the opposite is also true: introverted people are still people. When left isolated, we are often left with the deepest, darkest parts of ourselves. Left to meander in thoughts that only serve to propagate problems further. Without the necessary safety net, burnout can harm introverts themselves far more than it would an individual extrovert.
Other stressors for introverts include:
- Open office environments with constant noise and interruptions
- Excessive meetings or team discussions
- High expectations for verbal participation or public speaking
Extroverts: Lacking Fuel For the Fire
Extroverts, by their nature, don’t tend to keep to themselves and would much rather express their woes and worries. However, for extroverts, burnout can have a detrimental effect on their relationships with others and ultimately damage their position in the workplace.
Everyone has different means of expressing their emotions, but stress is something that favors high-energy emotions, such as anger or irritability. Lashing out as an extrovert can be detrimental to the work environment, for it can cause other co-workers to start isolating themselves from the party that lashed out in the first place.
Sometimes it’s also beneficial to bottle up one’s emotions and save them for a moment where it is applicable. An extrovert may see every social interaction the same way and come across as rude in communicating their problems when that’s not necessarily the case.
Other stressors for extroverts include:
- Strict deadlines with little opportunity for discussion or brainstorming
- Independent work that limits social engagement
- Quiet, low-energy work environments
Weathering the Storm
Although this article has addressed the experiences faced by introverts and extroverts in their sections, it’s important to understand that coping with stress is a universal constant. Even if there are no one-size-fits-all means of coping with our stress, we all benefit from a shared understanding of problem-solving. Here are several things you can do if you ever find yourself in workplace stress.
- One routine everyone can do to reduce stress is breathing exercises. Taking short, deep breaths relieves tension, lets muscles relax, and helps us focus on the here and now.
- Turn off notifications. While doing work, it’s best to maintain a level of focus appropriate for your workload. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, turning off your phone can prevent you from being far too overwhelmed.
- Communicate with your co-workers in a healthy, productive manner. When discussing issues with your co-workers, it’s best to talk directly but not overstep boundaries, especially when venting. Even introverted people can benefit from simply communicating their problems over bottling them up.
- Try stretching. If you’re confined to a sedentary office, don’t be afraid to stretch in your chair. It genuinely helps relieve a lot of pent-up stress.
- As an introvert, if you’re looking for easy stress relief, try taking isolation breaks regularly.
- As an extrovert, if you’re looking for easy stress relief, try having lunch with your co-workers during downtime.
To sum it up, in many ways, extroverts and introverts are similar. However, their day-to-day lives and means of accumulating stress can be very different. At the end of the day, though we’re all still humans, the way we address that stress is far more unified than we realize.
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FAQs
- What role does leadership play in reducing stress for introverts and extroverts?
Effective leadership can allocate the right tasks to the right kinds of people. Good leaders create an environment where both introverted and extroverted people can work together in relative harmony.
- How can teams balance the needs of both personality types?
Teams can balance the needs of both personality types by accommodating both in ways where one doesn’t feel more overbearing than the other. By promoting acceptance and inclusion, the workplace can get much better results.
- Can stress push introverts to act more extroverted and vice versa?
Yes actually. Stress forces people to act in ways that may seem out of the ordinary at first. Forcing stressful situations on someone is a recipe for disaster, though, and rather than doing that, it’s best to be understanding and encouraging.
- What’s the best way to support a stressed coworker, whether introverted or extrovert?
For an introverted co-worker, always be mindful of their space and avoid forcing them into social situations. For extroverted co-workers, try your best to engage them in conversation and activities so that they don’t feel left out.
