7 Struggles Of Being An Extrovert With Anxiety

It's not in your head.

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Because I'm an introvert who also has anxiety, I'm fascinated by extroverts with anxiety. 

Because my introversion is so well-established, I'm able to manage my anxiety with greater ease than I would if I were an extrovert.

Ignore a call because you need to stay in and be away from people? That's heaven for an introvert.

But if you're an extrovert, that's not an option.

And if you're an extrovert with anxiety, it's totally off the menu. 

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Anxiety tends to be associated with introverts, but the truth is that extroverts can suffer from anxiety too. 

Here are 7 signs you're an extrovert with anxiety. 

1. You're tired but you can't sleep.

Extroverts with anxiety often find themselves ridiculously keyed up.

That's because the fight-or-flight mechanism that sends introverts with anxiety running for the hills is actually helping you power through your day.

It's actually not a bad use of your energy...

...until you're doing something like trying to sleep. Then forget about it. 

2. You're always juggling a million things. 

Your friends think of you as being the most organized person on the planet. 

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People are forever asking you for favors, seeing if you'll plan a party or help book a fundraiser.

And you always say yes.

It's not because you always want to, it's because you're worried that if you say know, your friends will suddenly hate you.

Better to bite off more than you can chew then risk that. 

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3. You love new places, but hate traveling.

Nobody loves flying, but you have a special hatred for it that you carry deep in your heart.

Nothing makes you happier than traveling to some new place and exploring it, meeting new people and making it your own.

But everything that is required to go correctly to get you to your location has to be down to the second correct or the whole thing falls apart.

The peril of missing your cab, missing your plane, or forgetting your passport has actually given you nightmares. 

4. You have a short temper.

You love all of your friends, and you love hanging out with them, but you've got a short fuse. 

That's probably because of your anxiety. 

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If a friend is late, you snap at her. If someone forgets to call you back, you might yell at them for it.

You aren't really mad at your friends, it's your anxiety talking.

Because for an extrovert with anxiety, control is king. 

5. You're a perfectionist 

People love coming to your home for dinner parties and you love having them there.

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But they would all be secretly shocked to learn how much you hate entertaining. 

Your anxiety makes it so that every last detail needs to be perfect, or else the whole evening will feel like a total waste. 

6. You're always the center of attention.

At every party, whether or not you're the host, the attention centers around you.

You don't do it in a showy way, but when you walk into the room, you walk in with a plan.

You need to talk to everyone, but your anxiety won't let it stop there: you need to CONNECT with everyone.

And that means making a big splash, and taking the time that most people at a party just can't do. 

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7. You get social hangovers 

You love people, you love parties, you love laughing.

But the strain of maintaining control over yourself and every possible situation you're faced with on a day-to-day basis is utterly exhausting.

Because you're an extrovert with anxiety, you seldom retreat to gather back up your emotional reserves. 

So, when you do finally crash, you crash hard. 

Do these things sound familiar? 

If so, you're probably an extrovert who has anxiety. And that's okay.

You're not a bad person for the fact that every little thing seems to stress you out, and you're not a bad person for craving social interaction. 

If you haven't talked to a professional about your anxiety, it might really help your social life (and your sense of well-being) to do that. Life doesn't necessarily always have to be so keyed-up. 

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Rebecca Stokes is the Pop Culture Editor for Newsweek living in Brooklyn.