Anyone else enjoy their own company and not feel like socialising very often?

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Does anyone else feel the same way? I have friends, quite a wide circle really, and I do socialise, but I just can't seem to get excited about meeting up with friends in the way that some people do. I enjoy a cuppa and a catch up, but I'm always happy to get home afterwards and to have some time at home on my own.

I've never really been one for socialising a huge amount at the school gates, and I've just passed a group of other mums on my way home having a good old gossip. I spoke to them briefly but although I could have stayed and chatted couldn't wait to get home to a bit of quiet and me time.

I just wondered if others feel the same way as I do, really.

Another one here.

I tried to make the effort in the past but it was just too much. My own space, a good book and plenty of time is heavenly.

DH is an introvert too which makes life so much easier. He has a higher tolerance for people though so he does a lot of stuff I hate, like playgroups and camping with friends. One marvellous year he took the DC away for a whole week without me.

I have no friends in RL (loads on the internet), no partner and no DC - and I love it!! I wouldn't have it any other way. The idea of going out in an evening is just too much hassle.

I'm also a real homebody and love and really need lots of time on my own and am never bored. Socialising exhausts me and I've been messed about so many times now I'd rather not bother. I get a lot of fulfilment and satisfaction in my own world. Going out in a group/parties/gettogethers etc. cause me stress and I don't enjoy what a lot of extroverts like doing. At all.

I prefer one to one friendships where I feel comfortable. I'm ok-ish in groups of 3-4 but any more and social anxiety kicks in, I freeze and/or want to run...I look for a way out, an excuse to get away, the exit.

I'm friendly though and have tried to mix and join groups yet just see cliques and get left out. It makes me feel so bad that I have been forced to give up and my stress levels go down then.

I am a real introvert, and I find few people understand our needs. I hold my hands up to not having good social skills so I can't blame people for not warming to me.

Another home bird with a very late Aspergers diagnosis. Like someone said before, when I was younger I tried so hard to appear popular and have lots of friends but I need to drink to be able to cope with a lively environment.

The older I get, the less I care what people think of me. Infact I have only a couple of friends, but I get on well with people in my working life.

I hate to have anything on my calendar unless a trip to a local theatre or a meal. I am very lucky to have a wonderful family but my favourite thing would be pootling and pottering at home.

needed - once I stopped my true nature appeared and I was shy and introverted in reality.

Me too!

I like seeing friends, but I REALLY like going home and being peaceful and accountable to no one but me. I start to feel stifled if I have too many social evenings and not enough time alone.

I do have two very close friends who I am so comfortable with it isnt the same as 'socialising' when I see them. I feel completely relaxed and not under pressure to entertain or be entertaining. This is probably because they are both people I have house-shared and lived with in the past too. I feel very lucky to have them in my life, but sadly I don't see them enough as I moved so far away.

My job is quite a social job, so having been around people all day I'm quite happy to get home and be on my own for a bit of peace and quiet.

Another one saying yes here. I love my own company I also don't go out very much these days, been there, seen it and got the tshirt.

It was my 52nd last week and spent the night with a couple of close friends and a bottle of vodka. Had a dance round the kitchen floor and only had to take 5 paces into my lovely comfy bed... perfect!

Me too. I don't get anxious exactly about nights out socialising but I convince myself I won't enjoy it and even up to setting off I'm already bored and fed up. I do however usually enjoy myself but am ready to leave at around 10.30.
DH's job involves taking clients out and meeting new people all the time. I couldn't do it.

This is me! I often wonder what the heck is wrong with me! I rarely look forward to going on play dates etc but know I have to go for the dc sake.

Do any of you introverts have extrovert husbands? What do they make of your reluctance to socialise?

Me!! I much prefer being at home than out socialising. I was out all the time in my early 20's and I'm just bored of it. I'd rather be at home in a hot bath with a good book than out meeting up with people. DH is the same, although he does like to go for a pint and watch the football, and we have a good group of friends I just would rather not go out.

Me too!
Have always felt an oddity, because I have lots of friends, love Facebook ( because I can socialise without leaving the house ) and people think I am an extrovert because I am friendly, but my preference is for an evening on my own with a book.
Luckily DH is similar - everyone thinks he is extrovert because he is do outgoing and friendly but when we go out, we chat animatedly to people, but always slip away by 10.30...
We rarely have people to our house, because I know I will want to go to bed at 10.30, and the rest of the world are later people
When I was younger, I would always drive to parties so that I could leave when I wanted, and not be reliant on other people for a lift - my worst nightmare...
I prefer spontaneous meet-ups - eg a friend texting me for a coffee, hate making arrangements in advance because I know I won't want to go when the day arrives...
And on Corrie when they tells someone, they should go for a girls' night out, I cringe, I would hate it

Me too.
People who don't know me assume that I am an extrovert as I can be sociable .
However, I love to spend time on my own Dh understands me and just lets me get on with it.
If I go out , I clock watch because I just want to go home. I enjoy going out for the evening, but after about two hours I am done for the night.

I personally am not a lover of facebook, I initially signed up due to teen son doing it and wanting to know what was going on (the rule was, if he had facebook then I was his friend or it would be deleted). I dont really care who did what or whether they had sausages for dinner or went out for a meal. I still find it bizarre that people post their every move on there.

Dontgo I also prefer to be spontaneous, like last minute arrangements and hate fixed dates and times made weeks in advance.

Same goes for holidays. I'd rather do a last minute one. In both cases it's so stress levels don't have time to rise. I'd never associated this with being introvert though....but it's making me think.

And I hate facebook.

Another introvert here. I'm much 'better' than I used to be, but given the option between going out and socialising or snuggling up on the sofa with dp I choose the latter every time.

I do get a slight feeling of panic when I think about going out, it wouldn't take a lot for me to become agoraphobic (sp?) but I push myself to be sociable to make sure that I don't end up like I was. A few years back, if I had to go out I would get really ill either before or afterwards and spend all night with D&V.

These days I am happy to have a coffee with a friend or go out with two or three people for a few drinks every once in a while, but I can think of nothing worse than a party, especially if it's full of people I don't know.

I have a few such occasions coming up and I'm steeling myself and trying to talk myself into relaxing and enjoying them! I'm sure they'll be fine and I don't want to avoid them as it's important to me to be seen as part of the family, but if I could wave a magic wand and be happy and confident at this sort of occasion I'd love to as the anxiety and stress I feel is such a waste.

Yes! I have actually cancelled my mum coming over tomorrow, as I have work in the evening (sociable job) and just the THOUGHT of doing both is making me feel knackered! I am sociable, lots of people would probably think of me as outgoing and to an extent that is true but I feel like I physically need time alone. Too much social interaction makes me tired and grumpy. Once I've had that time I feel like myself again.

Does anyone else here besides myself, hate watching films or programmes with other people?

I'm not talking about with your partner, but for instance, when you watch a comedy with other people and everyone looks round to see if everyone else is laughing; I absolutely hate that!

I'm also a total loner, dyed in the wool introvert, happily go for days without talking face to face with anyone

I think I'm like this, but mainly I put it down to laziness. I do have a fair amount of friends, and I do like it when we get together, but I don't get excited about meeting up with them. I am happy when we're together at the time but no matter what we do together I'm sort of glad when It's over and I can get home and curl up with my laptop/book and just relax...

I love my own company too. My colleagues, who I get on with really well, love to meet up all the time and can't understand that I'd prefer to be home.

And as we approach the silly season it's only going to get worse.

I've been like this all my life and found it worse when I was younger and you were expected to go partying. At least now I can be an old woman!

Me me me! I love an evening just to do my own thing, or a day even. perfectly happy to go to exhibitions, museums etc on my own and just potter.

The other day I had a day to myself and went to see the wedding dress exhibition at the V and A then watched Mr. Turner at the cinema by myself, was bliss. I felt so relaxed at the end of it. I didn't have to pander to anyone's else's choice of film, activity, food, there is no way DP would have gone to see a film about a painter, we would have ended up watching some dire action flick.

I do remember when I was younger too the intense pressure to go out and have a "great" time, I remember very few nights out that I actually enjoyed. So glad I'm in my forties now too. I know who I am, what I like and damn well stay in if I want to.

Me! I did lots of clubbing in my youth but now I just don't want to go out! I hate having lots of upcoming plans. DH is quite extrovert but I kinda like that as he makes me a bit more socially active though he is very happy doing stuff without me.

I think I have social anxiety to be honest. I love alone time.

Have just noticed it is 6.30, and I am supposed to be going to a friends birthday drinks at 7. Why did I agree...? ( three weeks ago)
Now wish I was just having an evening at home with mumsnet a book.
Gotta get changed, make up , write card, wrap a bottle, and drive thee miles...
Envying all you who are sensibly, cosily indoors for the evening...

I've been like this for a while now. In my case, I got worse since having children. I find my life really mundane these days. I don't think I have a lot of interesting stuff to say to people anymore, and I don't find people that interesting or exciting either. I said this the other day to a couple who are friends through our sons, and they looked at me as if I were a horrible person.

As I get older, I find relationships and friendships too complicated, and prefer also spending time by myself or my close family.

I still like people, especially those who are friendly and kind, but don't have the energy a lot of the time to seek constant company. Meeting one a month is more than enough for me.