While being active in the church during my youth and young adult phase(like young married and young mom), I loved to go out and do stuff with people. I craved Girl's Night Outs, enjoyed ward dinners, and hosted countless parties of my own. I was an extrovert through and through.

I've noticed that the longer I distance myself from the LDS culture, the more I dread going out or being involved with groups of people- even with my very close friends. I'm not sure if its an age thing or if I'm just enjoying this phase in my life right now (my kids are 8-14) or whatever it is. But call me anti-social! I never would have seen myself like this- but then again, I never would have thought I'd leave the church either.

The way the church has its system set up- you HAVE to participate and be involved with others. Maybe now that I can choose how I spend my time, I'm being extra protective of who I spend it with. Any of you have this same thing happen?

Yes. The older I get the more I am "getting my Greta Garbo on."

I do think some of it is an age thing, just not wanting to do the same old things one more time. Makes me wonder how my elderly mother can still stand to sit through Sacrament Meeting for the ten thousandth time.

The mandatory participation of that church is no place for an introvert. You are expected to be extroverted to the max or you are not considered a good Mormon, so, leaving it lets the real you surface more easily.

I was always a major introvert. I have noticed that as people age they tend to be more and more content to be by themselves. I think when you are young you need to inhale the world, devour it, and when you are older you just want to breathe out.

I look around my neighboorhood on long summer evenings. There are almost no cars of visitors, few people leave except to shop, few signs of anyone except homebodies who worked all day and just want some peace.

I think we have all become introverts.

Are you showing signs of depression? Making a major change like leaving religion or divorcing can trigger depression.

Maybe you are a natural introvert. The LDS Church hates introverts, because we are too individual. Forced socializing is part of their program, especially for missionaries. If you are an introvert, you may just be coming out of this pattern.

Just be aware of yourself. Don't force yourself, but also don't let yourself become a hermit. If you think you might be suffering from depression, get help. If not, just figure it out. There is no right or wrong answer here, just what's comfortable for you.

"Kids 8-14 years old", lol youare not an introvert, your constantly running your kids around. You don't have the energy to do more.

Once they are grown you'll likely revert back to a more social creature.

Suffering Mormonism may have contributed to my introversion.

I look at it this way:

When I was young, I was trying out all kinds of social situations, looking to find where I fit in and what I was.

Now that I'm older, I know who I am, and I know where I fit in. I also know where I don't fit in and who I'm not (mormon). So my socialization choices are less scattered, and more focused on who I am and what I want.

That might be you, too :)

Two things I'm realizing about myself as I age is that I like less and less the effort it takes to get myself "out there" and let people in. By this I mean that new people are an effort to know. Yes, it's still fun meeting new people and having new experiences but it requires me to be more guarded because I don't know their beliefs, politics, and prejudices. I dislike being offensive and confrontational. For this reason it takes more effort to be tactful and careful to not offend. I think of myself as always considerate and polite but admit I have biases that make it so much easier to be with People I know intimately rather than people I've never met before.

Second, as I age I have become more introspective and think deeper thoughts. It is a burden to be around people who just want to talk about game stats and fashion trends. And younger people talk about the best diaper brands, celebrities, and things their smart phone can do. I want to discuss world events, possible ecological outcomes of current lifestyles, history, scientific discoveries, and books both current and classic. And strange as it seems, not all older people are this way. Many of my mother's friends are just as shallow and frivolous as many millennials.

I am grateful for my friends who invite me out because I know I'd probably just stay home and read or take long walks in the woods simply thinking my own thoughts if not for them. I have to force myself out into the world because I know it's not emotionally healthy to become a hermit. Sometimes, although I'm agnostic, I dream of joining a monastic order with a large and extensive library situated in the middle of a massive forest. Anyone know of any non-religious monastic orders that are not just a bunch of fruitcakes?

Needless to say, I've aged out of Mormonism as well. How I ever stood the loop tape lessons, prayers, and indoctrinations mystifies me today.

I became more of an extrovert after leaving

During my transition time getting away from Mormonism, I turned inward. I am an introvert by nature, but I had an exceptionally hard time getting out and meeting new people during that period.

I concluded that the primary reason was that I had to reestablish a new personal identity. Everything I was, and had done recently had something to do with Mormonism. I had just spent 5 years doing a mission and then BYU. It was hard to even introduce myself without some need to feel uncomfortable about my relationship to Mormonism.

Simple, innocent questions like, where did you go to college? Where did you grow up? Have you been to any foreign countries? It all brought Mormonism forward.

I slowly reengaged the world, and developed new friendships and pursued new activities. And I worked on developing a concept of who I am, and what I believe in. As that progressed, I became more confident about who I was and felt I could share that with others. As Mormonism becomes a smaller part of my life, I can accept that part of my life for what it is, but not feel like I am defined in relationship to it.

I'm a mixture of introvert and extrovert, based on the Myers-Briggs test.

Leaning on the introvert side, and I too covet my individuality and alone time.

Audrey Hepburn was an introvert, like many other actors and authors (creative people in general,) tend to be.

She used to say she'd rather hang out at home in her "den" then anywhere else on the weekends, with her family, her gardens, and her pets.

I'm pretty much the same way, without the money or the fame (or glam.) :)

A good book, movie, dinner, company or not, and I'm fine. I love my family, and spend time with the ones I enjoy being with. That seldom involves a crowd, but when it does, I'm okay with that too.

From my earliest age, I remember being an introvert. Whether Mormonism played a role in that I can't really say, but it doesn't cater to introverts, for sure.