couple holding hands
It’s never easy to have tough conversations, especially when it’s with your partner.
Things become even more difficult when you’re an introvert trying to have these
conversations. Just because most introverted people tend to “go with the flow” doesn’t
mean they are okay with being walked over.
When it comes time to have some of these difficult conversations, it’s
best for you to be as prepared as possible. Knowing what you want to say and having
questions you both need to answer can help you speak your mind and have your
feelings heard.

Taking the Next Step

Deciding to move forward in a relationship can be a tricky conversation to have with a
significant other. Both of you will need to be ready to move forward together and think about what taking the next step means. If one of you is ready and the other isn’t, it can

mean trouble for your relationship.
For the person who’s ready, they’ll likely be excited and impatient to move forward. On
the other hand, the person who isn’t ready can feel pressured to move faster than they
can handle. Whether you are in either situation, it is imperative for the success of your
relationship that you are regularly communicating your feelings and showing them.
As an introvert, you’re likely not expressing how you really feel as often as someone
who is more extroverted would. If your partner is more on the extroverted side, it can
appear as if your feelings aren’t as strong as they really are.
It can be hard at times, but finding effective forms of expression that work for you is
important here. While you might have a harder time vocalizing your feelings, you can
instead show them through written notes, acts of kindness, affection or physical touch.

Setting Responsibilities

Creating expectations around responsibilities can be difficult in a relationship.
When it comes to sharing responsibilities, it’s important to know your limits and set them accordingly. 
Otherwise, resentment can begin brewing and can put your relationship in
jeopardy.
Having a conversation about common chores and responsibilities is a must in any
partnership. You are two people from two different backgrounds who need to find a way
to cohabitate. Stereotypically, these chores and responsibilities fall upon women in the
home. However, those norms are being increasingly challenged.
You need to know exactly how your partner feels about who these chores and
responsibilities should fall on, and how they should be divided. The last thing you need
is to move forward in your relationship without having this conversation, only to find out
that your partner expects you to do all the housework every Saturday like clockwork.
Introverts will internalize many of their thoughts and feelings. On this topic though, you
need to be upfront and communicate your feelings. Otherwise, over time, you will begin
to resent both your partner for putting unrealistic expectations on you, and yourself for
not speaking up sooner.

Sharing Finances

Finances are one of the most common reasons for strife in a relationship. That is why it
is important to have a conversation about them together, and come up with a plan. For
example, if you want to buy a house together but one of you doesn’t have credit score needed for a home
because of poor spending habits, that would be an issue.
As previously mentioned, you are two people from different backgrounds trying to come
together. There’s a good chance that you’re going to view your personal finances and
saving and spending habits differently.
You cannot be afraid to speak your mind here and tell your partner what you really
think. Your finances, savings and credit will all be in jeopardy if you don’t come to an
understanding. Do your research and find a budgeting plan that you can both easily
stick to. Also, set goals that you both want to achieve, like buying a house together, so
there is something tangible to be working toward financially.
Of course things will change as life events come up, so this is not a conversation you’ll
have once and be done with it. Anytime something major happens, you need to discuss
it together and come up with a solution or plan that works for both of you.

 Alone Time

As an introvert, being “on” and social all of the time can be difficult and leave you feeling
drained. You are someone who needs some form of alone time to recharge and just be.
This is why it is important for you to have a conversation  to establish boundaries in your personal life
with your partner.
This is especially true if your partner is more social and extroverted than you. They
might not necessarily understand how taxing social scenes can be for you or how much
you value being alone to do things you enjoy.
When you’re having this conversation with your partner, make sure to emphasize that
this doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy their company or doing things with them. Having
even one day that is just yours can make all the difference in your mood.
There will be some things that you like to do that your partner doesn’t, and vice versa.
Help them understand that you can and should both do those things on your own time.
Then you can share with one another how relaxing, exciting or important it was to you
when you come back together.
Having these tough conversations and others like them will make your relationship
stronger and help your thoughts be more respected in your partnership. Being an
introvert, it can sometimes be difficult for you to express yourself verbally, but there are
times where you can still express yourself through other forums. There are also times
where you will just trust your partner and your relationship, but need to speak your truth
to help them understand your thought process. The key here is a mutual understanding
and respect for one another, so that your relationship can flourish.