Have you ever taken those personality tests? I am sure you know the ones, because I am 100% sure you have taken at least one in your lifetime. If you have been in any kind of job, I am sure you have been asked or told you must complete one or more. I have also heard there are some families that make potential in-laws take these tests to make sure they will be a good fit. Now, I am sure some of you are shaking your head at this, but think about it: we have a thousand different tests to help you figure out what box you should be in.

Well, what if you just don’t feel like you fit in any box?

What started this line of thinking? Nothing really—just me at the end of the day feeling mentally exhausted. I’m thinking, why am I so tired? Well, stress (because I am living, which is a whole different topic), work, you name it. Then I started thinking about something. I always say it is because I am in a job where I have to be extroverted, even though I am really an introvert. But then again… am I? Because I don’t always feel like an introvert.

And here’s the thing—we have all these “verts” now. Introvert, extrovert, ambivert, omnivert, and now, apparently, otrovert.

I know they’re supposed to be about your social battery—how fast you drain around people or how fast you recharge. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about a battery and turned into a whole personality label. The test tells you which one you are, and suddenly, that’s your whole identity.

Though as I have gotten older, I am definitely not as friendly as I used to be. But is that because I am constantly draining my battery? Am I an introvert because it’s true, or just because a test put me in that box? All my jobs have been in some form of customer service; they require me to be outgoing. I am very good at it, too. I’m told I am polite and kind—even when I must tell people “no.” But even when I’m being my most polite, it still drains the meter.

So, am I really extroverted? Because when I come home, I am drained.

What I am trying to say, in a very long‑winded way, is that I think we have all placed ourselves in boxes. We needed a way to describe our personalities, so we took a test. Well, guess what? Like any test, these are really just a snapshot of that moment in your life.

I think I have been putting myself in a personality box. I am tired of people thinking that because I like to read and value my alone time, I wouldn’t do well in a large group or be able to work a room. I know there are people who are born to be the MC of the room, and that is not me. But I also know that I can be that person without a problem.

I don’t want to call myself an introvert, extrovert, ambivert, omnivert, or otrovert. (Yep, they added another one.) If I did need to put myself in a box, I would probably be an otrovert now. I have moved from introvert, to ambivert, to otrovert.

To be honest, while I would love to say all of these tests helped me—and maybe they did at the time—now I just feel tired and unsure where I fit. Maybe I should take another test to see where I am now, but I think at some point we just must learn that we are not just one thing. And honestly, throughout the day your personality can change.

We just need to find the thing that gives us joy and allows us to breathe. I know, easier said than done. It is why I started blogging; I know I can’t be the only one that feels this way.