Ohhh Kaaaaay.
Hence, I figure out it is time I have a post dedicated to all my socially awkward penguin pals! Read on and lets see if you relate to these struggles.
Are you one of those people, when you are about to talk to
someone new, you totally freak out, hyperventilate and have to practice through
a speech in your head before actually talking to them? Or do you actually
secretly dislike crazy parties with loads of people because
you get really anxious and uncomfortable? If you can relate to those, you and me are now
automatically friends!
Us, the socially awkward penguins are often misunderstood. People
tend to mistake us as for being unfriendly or weird, mainly because we are going through
pangs of anxiety when meeting someone
new, and appear cold, or on another extreme, are trying so hard to be sociable that we
become a "try-hard" weirdo. The people around you often can't really
figure you out, because you seem to be pretty outspoken and extroverted, but
then again, sometimes you morph into your awkward self. So what the hell is
going on with you?!
Not to worry my dear awkward pals, because you are not alone in this! Here is a list of things that all you socially awkward penguins out there can relate to :
Not to worry my dear awkward pals, because you are not alone in this! Here is a list of things that all you socially awkward penguins out there can relate to :
1. We do NOT like surprises.
Sure, we love small
subtle surprises like receiving our favorite Starbucks in the midst of a hectic
exam week.. But when it comes to a big, over-the-top surprise party with every
acquaintance we know, it scares the sh*t out of us, and we never know how to
react. We do not know who to talk to,
what to do with our hands, and we end up being too busy worrying about how to
act instead of actually enjoying the thoughtful gesture.
2. We prefer one to
one interactions as compared to group interactions.
The thing about hanging out with a big group of friends is
we sometimes don't really know who to talk to, or how to blend in. Don't get me wrong, we do hang out with our
group of friends, and enjoy the great company, but we find one-to-one
interactions way more enjoyable and engaging, and it makes us feel much more at
ease. We definitely prefer getting to know someone on a whole new level,
understanding why they like the stars more than the moon, why they are secretly
afraid of success, how they act when they get moody etcetera etcetera, instead
of sitting at a table full of people and being unsure of what to say, or even who to listen to or talk to.
3. We can't do
spontaneous plans.
Your group of friends call you while you are watching Grey's
Anatomy in your PJs, and ask you to go
on a spontaneous road trip across the state to try out this new burger place.. Sounds
like fun! But wait.. What do I do now?! Oh no, I don't know what to wear! I
don't want to be overdressed or underdressed! Oh I don't know who else is
going! Are they going with that girl from class whom I always smile at but
never know what to say? How am I going to talk to her?! Wayyyyy too much
pressure for us. We need at least a few hours to prepare ourselves mentally, or even give ourself a pep talk before the outing.
4. First impressions of us will mostly be negative ones.
Let's just face it. We are not very good at meeting new
people. Trust me, it is definitely not because we are not interested, sometimes
it can even be because we are way too interested, that is why we are so anxious
we tend to act weird. We may seem cold or overly friendly, but in fact it is
just because we are actually going through a lot of anxiety in our head and
overanalyzing our every move and word. Thankfully, a lot of our friends endured
through our awkwardness and they get to know the real us after some time.
5. Sometimes we tend to bail on outings at the last minute.
It might most probably be because we think that the anxiety
of being uncertain throughout the whole interaction is not worth it. It is not
because we don't love our friends, we just don't really love the feeling of being
uncertain of what the outing might bring, or the pressure of trying to think of
what to say and how to act for that many hours. It may also be because we are
feeling a little tired and would rather spend some time alone in our own hermit,
comfortable in our own company without any awkwardness to worry about. Social
interactions require effort for us. But we will try to make it the next time,
hopefully.
6. We are professionals at avoiding awkward situations.
People think it is ridiculous to take the long walk back
from campus. But in fact we just want to avoid the lady selling fruits because
once you fell down in front of her stall and you are too embarrassed to let her
ever see you again. People don't understand why you freak out and pretend to be
preoccupied with your phone sometimes. But in fact you just want to avoid eye
contact with the acquaintance you met only once during a camp and don't know if
you should say hi. People don't get why you would rather hold your pee than to
go to the toilet. But in fact you hate imagining walking all the way across the
room with people staring at you in the middle of a lecture. People don't
understand why you avoid certain restaurants even if you love the food there.
But in fact you know all your ex's friends always eat there and you are not
certain if you should even say hi if you bumped into them after breaking their
bro's heart. It gets really tough, so avoiding is actually worth the trouble.
The struggles are pretty real in the life of a socially
awkward kid. We can be extroverted and love social interactions, but we also go
through a lot of social anxiety in our head when we are put into certain
situations. We try, really hard, to fit in, but sometimes we tend to be really AWKWARD!
But once we are able to feel comfortable around the ones close to us, they get
to see our real self and know us for who we truly are.
However, despite our secret struggles, that is just the way we are build, and that is what make us special. Let us try to embrace our awkwardness, and be grateful for all our close friends who stuck around long enough for us to get comfortable around them, and be thankful for their understanding on the way we function.
Till next time, loves! Thanks for reading!