Our relationship is pretty good overall. He is the extrovert and more social one and I am the introvert who has generally had issues with maintaining relationships.
I know this is a me problem and over the last several years I have made a lot of progress. My progress has been slow, but definitely measurable.
I run a small business where I travel and set up locally. I also began volunteer work that I hoped to help me practice my socializing and make more friends.
Ive been doing these two things on my own for a while. First I invited him to the volunteering thing thinking we would work together and it would just be a cool thing. But somehow it evolved into him making way more connections, volunteering in the 'fun' events while I have been doing all the behind the scenes stuff for several years. Because of my commitments to the dirty work and my other life commitments I tend to not be able to go to the once in a while social events though I do make a point to attend when possible.
Because he has more free time and no other commitments to the volunteer groups, his fantastic socialization skills and charisma has made him a welcome regular to these monthly or every other month events. He is more known to the group than I am now. Ive become "Partner's Wife" instead of my name followed by what I do for the group. Ive been with the group for much longer, just more in the logistics side than the networking side.
More recently he asked to come with me to one of my business setups. Sure! He helped and we got to hang out. He then asked me if he could try selling some other thing of his. I didnt really care at first and thought it was great. But he quickly overshadowed me with his natural ability to talk to people and his price points are way lower than what I can do with my stuff.
Then he brought in a friend to help with his new business following my same setup and got into the same places I was at. Then more people joined and now its just me, and then a group of 5 doing his business thing.
Now I am known as "Partner's Wife" at these events too.
I was doing well for myself trying to improve my mental health and relationships with people, but as a natural introvert and socially stunted individual ita a bit hard to be seen when someone else has natural charisma. Cant compete with that lol.
Nothing he is doing is wrong. But I have found myself unable to continue trying to get better at making connections with him involved in the stuff I alone originally was. I am even losing sales now because he can engage so much better with people in general than I can.
Like, none of this is on purpose or malicious and its been great for his mental health because he was really struggling with working from home without having in person connections since his hobby stuff and friends sorta disapated or moved away during and after Covid. So I feel bad even feeling bad, but I definitely feel undermined in some way. Like my stuff got taken over. And it isnt easy for me to start over the way it would probably be for someone less introverted.
TL;DR extrovert husband unintentionally took over my (introvert and socially anxious) hobby and overshadowed my business with his own after he tagged along with me. I am sinking into the background and losing money now. He is thriving. Advice?