17 Days Alone as an Introvert

[@ElizabethGaddPhotography]

Thanks soooooo much for watching, everyone! ❤ Here is the link to my new calendars & prints: elizabethgaddprints.com And also the link to my newsletter, where I share my "Notes from the Heart" written thoughts, creative retreat announcements, photography tutorials & more: www.elizabethgadd.com/newsletter

[@RahelStadler]

Thank you Lizzy from the bottom of my heart for sharing so openly and for being so vulnerable. I really needed your little chat, it comforted me, I feel your struggles so deeply as I'm currently struggling with very similar things. Sending you a big hug, you are so loved and appreciated for who you are ♥️ Enjoy your wonderful next adventure with Kris.

[@francineh.7825]

Being a Highly Sensitive Person as well I know how draining it can be when you are in a big loud city and crave to just get back to the quiet of nature. I have also been experiencing some anxiety. I'm going to release a book soon that is about the death of my eight-year old son and how I worked through my grief, but even though I wrote it so it will help others, I'm starting to freak out a bit that it will be out in the public for people to see. So trying to come to grips with that.

[@guidedbysunshine333]

Sending you so much love for your courage and bravery ❤

[@francineh.7825]

@guidedbysunshine333 ❤️

[@tsaitichen8564]

"I'm choosing to find the joy in the rain" So beautiful! So true!

[@4estdweller4ever]

I am an introvert too though as a child I was a loud mouth, constantly reciting nursery rhymes and singing songs at the top of my lungs. I lived in the country so I could though my mother would on occasion tell me to pipe down. Maybe I would have been an extrovert but I got crushed by some terrible events which made me afraid and horribly insecure. I have spent a lifetime trying to get better. Im 70 now. Recently I’ve had some epiphanies. My father taught me to sing when I was 2. In my mind I can hear his voice and my own. I hear him coax me, “Come on, sing You Are My Sunshine for me”. He was recording me on an old wire recorder. That was my start. My Daddy taught me to sing and it became a life raft for me when he died when I was 4. Once he died life became a non stop hurricane of trauma. I have been muscling through life trying to find balance and peace. I’ve worked very hard. I feel I have come to some resolution. It feels like I was finally able to help the crying 6 year old who lives in me. I got into her brain and heard all her trauma and depth of sorrows and it cleared up my confusion toward my identity questions and put all my mistakes and missteps into a whole new perspective. I now am certain they were completely inevitable. It just wasn’t possible to avoid them. I’ve known this to a degree mentally but not in my heart. I feel like I’ve unhitched my wagon to the past. She feels truly seen and heard and is ok now. My 4 year old has popped up and says let’s get this party started! 🎉 I’m singing at the top of my lungs again. You appeared right in the middle of all that. When I say party I mean joy. You live joy. And you pull me right into it. When you think you’re talking to a machine you are not. In your own humble way you are reaching out your torch and beckoning us to follow you. We are all touched by your example of seeing nature as our comforter. Our connection to it is grounding and nourishing. Your own grounded expressions are like breadcrumbs in the forest. They mark the way. They are delicious and I want more. Leading up to my epiphany my own creativity began to bubble up. I’m full of ideas and I almost don’t know what to do first. A happy conundrum. I’ve definitely started singing again. I play a dulcimer now. In the past I’ve always sang sad songs. The sadder the better. They are a vehicle to express my own sorrow, to release those sorrows. Now I’m singing happy songs even children’s songs! I am not a performer. I sing for myself. I sing to make myself purr. My father’s life raft got me home to myself. What you espouse serves as a life raft too. Whatever helps us to find peace is truly essential. Your example is a lighthouse to us. It’s like, you’re saying, Come on and sing You Are My Sunshine. Metaphorically speaking. 😊

[@ElizabethGaddPhotography]

Wow! ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you so much for sharing all this, reading your experience and words actually brought some tears to my eyes and filled my heart so much! I am seriously amazed at the heartfelt openness of so many of these comments, reading this from you really meant a lot to me that you took the time to share this. I’m SO happy you’re stepping into your joy again and singing and welcoming your child self back into your life - get that party started!! 🥰

[@4estdweller4ever]

@ Thank you, Elizabeth, for your sweet response. It feels like a warm hug.

[@RoshaniAkbarii]

Elizabeth, you have such a beautiful aura. I absolutely love how you capture moments in your photos-those 'selfies' are more than just selfies; they reflect your deep emotions and personality.🙏💜

[@JaimeBrandel]

Oh Elizabeth... I feel such a connection to you. We are so very much the same when it comes to being an introvert and needing a huge quantity of alone time. I understand your anxieties, as I share the very same ones. Your videos bring me such peace... and sometimes a deep longing for the island. I spent 20 years of my life there and only recently moved to the Kootenays... we are almost neighbours. :) Beautiful here too, in the mountains, but there is something about that island. My love for nature and photography was born in those trees and next to the sea. Thank you for being your beautiful self.. and for inspiring me to create my own channel. I think that is where my anxieties reside right now, as it is all so new, but when I watch one of your films, I feel such goosebumps and a burst of creative energy. You are amazing. I can't wait to see where you travel to! And oh.. that deep insulating quiet that the snow brings... there is no silence quite like that, is there? Wishing you safe travels and new adventures! 💜

[@loriegriffin1108]

Gosh your painting is just beautiful.

[@dolfijntje27011972]

Dear Elizabeth, you are such a beautiful person and i completely understand you when you say you don't like places with lots of people. Perhaps you can try to put a bubble around you and keep people's energy outside your bubble. Then it will not affect you so much. Big hug for you❤

[@Reinhard_G.1965]

I really can't say what's more im- pressive ㅡ the nature around you or your creativity shown in every photo and painting! But I definitely apreciate people like you who voluntarily keep dis- tance to our world nowadays which is becoming more and more materialistic and hectical ... I wish you always the necessary health and strength to continue this special way of life! 💛 Reinhard from Germany

[@aliciamarielavoie]

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences as an introvert, Elizabeth. I work in the healing and creative fields. I am hands-on with patients during the week. On my days off, no one sees me. I crave nature and solitude. That is both my preference and a necessity. As I get older, I find I am becoming even more sensitive to loud noises and crowds. So, trying to find a way to honor my needs has been a journey.

[@ElizabethGaddPhotography]

I can so relate to that, the older I get the more I really am affected by loud noises and crowds. I hope you find the way to honour your needs. Especially working in creative and healing fields, I bet you really feel the need to wind down in your own solitude a lot. ❤️ Thank you so much for watching ❤️

[@jansturk]

You make such nice videos with love for life and for us.

[@carmen3728]

Just wanted to share one of the things I’ve used especially this last year to work through anxiety. I’ve found that doing breath work has really helped me. There’s lots of people on KZbin who have videos that can guide you through it when you feel it’s needed. Of course one thing I can always count on is your videos bringing me a calming, peaceful mood. Thank you for that! ❤

[@dealeusedelumiere]

Just thank you for sharing 🤍🤍🤍

[@alexgosher2702]

Thanks so much to you dear Elizabeth 🙏🙏 I wish you a wonderful trip to this destination that so inspires and excites you. Here winter settles in but at a much warmer color than your parts, as I live in the south of France, but in a peaceful and quiet pine forest. I absolutely love seeing all that snow and all the wild beauty you share. I feel the time has come to slow down but that’s not always so easy. Still I try to take precious moments out and I am so happy you had that alone time to really take time out and be at peace. Wishing you all the best and thanks so much again ❤️ Love Katrina

[@erinloughery]

I never know where to start when I comment on your videos, there’s so much I want to say! Thank you, kindred heart, for sharing your creative spirit with us. I’m also an artist & an introvert. It’s funny how we love our alone time so much, yet have such a strong desire to connect with the world. I await with bated breath to hear where it is you’re travelling to 😁 Much love from the east coast ❤🇨🇦

[@SJH279]

Wonderful video, wonderful scenery and wonderful person. I had to chuckle at your 'through the legs' routine with Pepper. Our walk-hating cockapoo does that on the way out because I am convinced she wants to disrupt the whole exercise ordeal. On the way back she has one direction/speed. 'Straight ahead for home' and 'fast'..

[@tiarailic4086]

I appreciate your positive vibes SO much! And I just wanted to say, thank you for being brave enough to speak on camera for all of us. As someone who, through most of my life, has been very insecure about the way I speak infront of strangers, it's inspiring to see others like you conquer their fears. In the same way, it's awesome to know that the forest is a sanctuary for many of us as well. No social pressure, no worry about perfection, just lots of silence and peace. ❤😊...i hope you have an awesome and recharging vacation!

[@anikasteffen6485]

Hey Lizzy! In September I also got huge panic attacks for the first time in my life. I'm a teacher and introvert (I know it sounds aweful but it mostly works) and suddenly there was this massive challenge that I never imagined would happen to me at work. After an aweful weekend of total anxiety I decided that I needed help and I went to therapy to find out that this challenge had triggered some trauma back in my childhood so it was time to deal with that. It was a tough time but it changed my daily life for the better because I had taken this trauma into school every day without knowing it. So now I know that I needed this big challenge to finally get some help and change for the better. It is no shame to get some help - it just means, you're not giving up! I'm still working things out but the therapy gave me a push and now I continue on my own. You can be so proud that you took your challenges despite of your anxiety! I know that can be so hard. And maybe if you want to get to the source of that anxiety you can go find out. Anyway I wanted to share this experience with you and hope you can learn to handle it more easily! Sending lots of love!

[@carolinesimmill4962]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Life is very much a learning experience. Look after yourself. It is good to get out of our comfort zone, yet we also must be wise about what is best for us. It is getting that balance that is so important. Wishing you a peaceful and wonderful holiday.

[@luciecernikova7441]

Dear Elizabeth, I totally understand your feelings about Florida and the cities and how exhausting it must be for you - not only as an introvert but also highly sensitive person, which I think you are. I think that this kind of sensitivity which enables you to feel the nature also has its dark side - it must be so much for you feel the energies of all the people in cities. So it is not that something is wrong with you, it is as it is, and we all have to learn to say "no". Someone told me once, that that the only "YES" should be the YES that we feel for 100% and everything else is just NO 🙂I know it is not that easy, I am learning it too and it is hard. I am an introvert to, I moved from Prague (Czech Republic) 4 months ago to a house in a countryside and when I come to the Prague now, just after few months, I feel like I am in New York 🤣 and I am always so happy to be back at home and alone. I hope you enjoyed your days of solitude - which I also need and love so much and I am looking forward to another video not just because I am really curious where you fly, but just because I love your energy and light. You and Jonna Jinton are my two most favourite fairies 🥰 Take care, have a beautiful trip and peaceful Christmas.❣❣❣

[@SavannahBech]

First of all, love your honesty...I really recoment yoga...not as in streching...but yoga. It is like a meditative sensation. It grounds you and let you get in touch with the knowing inside. Peace and a feeling of being free. Lots of love from Denmark.

[@KP_1843]

Choose Joy

[@jokevanduijvenbode3760]

Thank you for your beautiful video ❤ This week was to stressful for me. I had a problem with the power here for two days and because of that my heater was broken and it was very cold here. On top of that my mother is very ill and cannot become better anymore, she has cancer which had spread. So this week was horrible and I had panic attacks and hyperventilation. After two days I called the doctor and got medicine for it, cause I couldn't handle it by myself anymore. Now I feel better and within two days I will stop with the medication. I am glad you feel better too and I am sending you all my love from the Netherlands ❤❤❤

[@anthea_jones]

As a fellow introvert, spending that long totally alone sounds AMAZING. beautiful video and beautiful snow!

[@savage_daughter_nature_lover]

Dear Elisabeth, thank you so much for sharing impressions of your life with us. I love the way how you express yourself in your photos and paintings. You are so gifted! You are authentic. Thats what people feel and what makes you so special. I would love to meet you someday. Maria.

[@TheAutumnAcornKnits]

As a fellow introvert and HSP, I found this video so relatable!!! Like you, I require loads of alone time (although I rarely get prolonged alone time) and an early bedtime. My husband retired early and I work from home so that can be quite difficult. Thank you for sharing!!

[@katjaa2010]

Thank you for sharing your day, your thoughts with us. I am sure that a lot of us introverts can relate to needing alone time. I certainly need alone time and it feels like I can never get enough ;) I’m afraid that I cannot give you any advice on how to manage anxiety and panic rising up. Only this last year I actually learned to ‘listen’ to these feelings and let them happen. Since early on in my life, I needed to ‘just get on with life’ so I never took the time to understand and feel the feels. But, I think it helps a lot to have an understanding partner by your side to help you through these moments ❤ Your painting is amazing and I am so jealous that you have snow. Tomorrow (1-Dec) is the beginning of summer here in Australia and I am not looking forward to that. It’s very hot and humid where I am - but I try to take on the quote “I’m choosing to find joy in the hot and humid summer” 😊❤ I am excited for your next adventure and cannot wait to find out where you and Kris went to. Enjoy every minute of it.

[@jchai1343]

Watching your videos makes very relaxed ,THANK YOU !!

[@taimoorahmad3880]

My favourite @ElizabethGaddPhotography ❤

[@alanaUK]

🩵💚💛🧡❤️🩷💜 embrace all of you 💜🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵 anxiety brings you out of your core and contact with self, a vicious cycle where the mind is in charge over your precious beautiful heart ❤

[@jodiearrington]

Beautiful spirit shine your light out into the world, sharing your soulful heart with all you touch in your life.... I am so grateful for your light....

[@jben911]

Words cannot express how much I love your videos and your photography, and your art! Absolutely stunning images and heartfelt messages that touch a part of me that longs to live a life where I can just get up and go and do what my heart calls me to do. There are always reasons why I can’t. Right now, at the beginning of winter with a car that’s not necessarily reliable, I don’t have comfort in driving where I long to go. There’s also a part of me that worries about being a woman alone in the wilderness, or anywhere for that matter. One day I will get there, but for now I live through you. Thank you for all you do.❤

[@thats_nice_canada6283]

You are such a beautiful person and I wish you were a friend I could talk to for hours with…..I completely relate as I have had anxiety for most of my life snd have tried all sorts of things to no avail other then prescription meds that help a little. I am an introvert as well and I have a social job but luckily I work from the comfort of my own home and savour time to myself out in nature exploring the beautiful new area I moved to on Vancouver Island. If you are ever out this way, I’d love to say hi!

[@mishalebottcher6284]

Honestly, it's been so helpful to hear you speak about your anxiety, as much as I'm sad that you had to go through all of that, it feels like I feel less alone in this. For me personally, it's a very random/different experience, and yet, I think, of somewhat the same nature maybe. I'm pregnant with my first child, and I live in a place I've been meaning to move away from for a long time now, but haven't been able to yet. And even though I'm right by the sea, and beautiful walks aren't too far from my house, I live in a flat, surrounded by noise, in the middle of a town, and close to my partner's family, who have very unhealthy and intense dynamics, and I just can't seem to be switching my mind off lately. I feel so anxious at the thought of social interactions with them, and whenever I get together with them, I will go over the conversations we've had and the comments they made in my head for days. I want to feel calm, and I want it so much for my child too. I always pictured my pregnancy to be so very special and beautiful, which in moments it absolutely is, but I feel sad and guilty that it seems to be a daily mind battle to feel okay, and not overwhelmed. I'd love to live as remotely as you. Really, I only ever feel fully myself when I'm in nature, somewhere quiet. I get this child like energy that you were speaking of in your video, and only then I feel as light as a feather, and full of creativity. It helps me to know that one day I will be in a place that feels right for me, that I can truly call home. In the meantime, I also have to learn to say no, which is very difficult, as I worry about people's reactions and what they might think of me. I wish I can let go of that one day! Thank you a million times for your lovely videos, and your authentic, calm nature (even when your heart's racing on the inside, you still have this calming effect on me). I love all your work, and am so grateful for people like you, as it is through videos like yours that help my mind be at peace again, and reminded of what's truly important and beautiful in this world! :) ...sorry, mega long comment. Just feels nice to share, even if no one reads it. :)

[@tuckerandi]

Often I agree to do something in advance and then the the time comes and I don't want to be there. Public speaking always makes me nervous but after the fact I usually do well LOL. Yeah you definitely was there when it was best to be in the woods LOL. What a beautiful winter wonderland to end , but I understand it's too early , but we choose to find joy in everything or we must try to , hope you have an awesome week

[@radiantlove9232]

Thank you for sharing so honestly and know that I too feel I could live the life of a hermit, simply reveling in the beauty of nature. My favorite times are walking in the woods alone. I also relate to the anxiety of being around a lot of people. I think you are amazingly courageous for doing public speaking as I get so nervous just on a Zoom call. I find welcoming all my emotions and taking the time to really feel them, including fear and anxiety, helps them to move through me quicker. Even in the midst of the tremendous discomfort, acceptance seems to ease my suffering and calm the crazy stories my mind comes up with. 💖

[@helena-7704]

Wonderfull video ❤️ love your honesty! I'm having a hard time. Had a lot of changes the last few years and a few months ago I moved in with my boyfriend at the other side of the country than where I lived my whole life and where my family, friends, hobbys etc where. I had to built this all up again, and this is harder than I thought. Especially because I didnt have a job here yet and dont meet a lot of people. I am also an introvert normally, but in this situation I miss talking to people. It will eventually be okay and I dont have any doubts about the move, but this period was hard for me. In a time I thought the hard times were already over..

[@francineh.7825]

Moving somewhere new is never easy! I hope you settle in and enjoy your new home.

[@Iron-Outdoor]

What a great video 🤩 thanks for sharing

[@joanneoconnor247]

I completely understand about wanting to have lone time I to am not into gathering and parties or cities I live on a 640 acres of farm in Taranaki New Zealand 🇳🇿 the more remote the better, totally understand sometimes you have to escape to the wilderness.

[@terrymoses7548]

Never apologize for being you.

[@Amelieasana]

I had exactly the same struggle when I came out of nature after 6 months. I was living on farms away from civilization and then had to go to Lisbon. It's a beautiful city, but I was SO overstimulated by the noises and many people. I went into a shopping mall to get somesthing to eat and almost got a panick attack, because it was so crowded. I could not understand how this is normal and people get so used to this overstimulation. I felt so drained from this stressful energy. All that helped me was going back into nature as soon as possible. I also talked about this in my Vlogs and tried to show people with my nature shots, what I mean by what nature does with me. 🌿🧘

[@kindyrar]

Lizzyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeiiiiiiyyyy! This video came up in my feed and I squealed when I saw it was you. Love you and miss you so much! Watching this made me feel like I was hanging out with you. 🥰 Also, I must know what espresso machine you have! I've been wanting to upgrade and that one looks legit. 🤩

[@ElizabethGaddPhotography]

Awwwwweeeeee Kindraaaaaa!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ Love you and miss you so much too, we really DO need to hang out together very soon please!! 🥰 I think it’s the Breville barista express machine we have - we got it on sale over 3 years ago and never looked back. 😂 Although it’s kind of spoiled us for going out for coffee anywhere else because nothing compares to making our own perfect lattes anymore hahahah. 😂 Highly highly recommend!!!

[@TheASMRLibraryOfficial]

it looks so peaceful where you live🤩I'm glad you found the time to settle down after all that traveling, sounds fun but exhausting 😅

[@rashkehof2458]

💗

[@4estdweller4ever]

You’re not talking to a machine. You’re talking to me.

[@theholisticinitiative]

I can relate to a lot of what you share, and it’s nice to have these reminders validating our personalities. I wonder if you’ve heard of Ayurveda and the 5 elements. Fall is a time where there’s more lightness and less grounding, and folks like us who are naturally more sensitive and anxious tend to feel even more out of balance.

[@jamilrajpervlogs]

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@the-comments-poet]

A day on earth Every day I see the world I am forever amazed by its unending wonders And all the beauty of everything around me Each blade of grass, every pebbles, shoot and twigs Drops of dew as diamonds in the morning sun The fresh scent of renewed hope in the early breath The promises of life awoken Riches and abundance and rewards near I am so very small - this world so big Though I look and look I cannot see very far But I can see I belong here That I belong to here The new day also brings hurdles and sorrow Streams to cross, treacherous and menacing covers I am just a solitary little mouse trotting along In this immeasurable field I call home And no matter the dangers and the threats However unkind the weather and cold the nights And the friends lost and the dark days I am grateful for this ground I walk on I am the life given to me Like a voice needs a listener And the dream a dreamer This earth comes alive under my tiny little feet I am bound to it as it is to me I am just a solitary little mouse trotting along Small and defenceless, sometimes scared and unsure But trusting and confident in this moment Today, there is nowhere else I would rather be Here and now I belong To this life given to me I am a voice, I am a dream, I am a breath I am just a little mouse

[@sreedevi92]

Just a suggestion, please don't take it a wrong way. If you face your fears or anxiety makes you stronger. Probably the more you face the more you get immuned. Pardon me if you don't relate. Just thought your public speeches can be valuable . I can relate to how you feel because I experience the same and facing it has helped me to overcome the issue so far. Still a journey to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Also focus your attention outwards to what you are doing also helps divert experiencing anxiety

[@hobsyllwin2562]

Hey… 👋🏻 I am a new subscriberm😊 love your calming videos. I hate noise, big cities, crowds… but O am too scared to go intonthe wilderness alone 🤣 so perfect videos for me… what helped me in my life? I have to say… one book, and thia is NOT sponsored… I wish everyone would read The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer… it helps so much to understand what we are, and more so what we are not… a lot of questions about our minds and souls and emotions are answered in a very loving spirituar but at the same time scientific way ❤

[@Shuswap1970]

🦊

[@Terrierized]

Sorry I'm late Loved the update, no need to apologise for your absence Have you tried Low carb for anxiety/ mental health It turned my world around! 🌞

[@paulyoung5470]

I

[@KashifKhan-p6i2p]

Will you marry me? Queen