Introverted isn’t the same as shy. One is about where you recharge, the other is about fear. Know which you are.

These two get used as the same word, and they call for opposite responses. Needing quiet to refill is a preference about energy, and the answer is to plan for it. Being afraid of what people will think is a fear, and fears shrink with practice rather than with accommodation. Calling a fear a preference is comfortable and keeps it the same size.

Ask yourself which one is operating the next time you skip something. If it is energy, protect the hour and go anyway later. If it is fear, do the small version this week, like one question in class.