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Opening the Blinds

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I don’t think I have ever defined myself as an extrovert. There have been times in my life where I have done extroverted things, like the multiple times I went to schools where I didn’t know basically anyone but forced myself to talk to people so I could make friends. There have been parts of my life where socializing has come easily and smoothly. Lately, there have been lots of times where interacting with other people—especially people I don’t know (or don’t know very well)—feels exhausting. Sometimes, I just want to do my own thing. I’ve written before about my distaste for small talk , which stems from both personal insecurities and the reality that small talk is genuinely not energizing to me, though I do recognize it as a necessary building block to cultivate relationships with new people. The hard part is that I really like people. I love getting to know new people and being able to hear their stories and perspectives and jokes and learn about everything that has made them...
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I'm Not Trying to be a Bad Friend

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Disclaimer: I know that lots of the thoughts in this post are somewhat illogical. As someone who considers myself to be fairly grounded in most regards, it feels foreign to me to admit that I have thoughts and feelings that, upon inspection, don't always make sense. But I know what I feel, and even if it's stupid, I want to share it. I imagine that everyone has things that they don't love about themselves. For some people, it might be their weight or their bad habits or their poor decision making. It might be something they can control, like their haircut. Or it might be something they don't have as much control over, like their financial situation. I would be shocked if there is anyone who can't find some flaw in themselves that causes some level of discomfort or frustration. This might look like different things to different people. Some people might ignore certain shortcomings or flaws because they're focused on one specific thing. For others, they might be p...
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Give Thanks

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I've never been one for internet challenges. Well, I guess not "never." In 2014, I shared a video of me participating in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in what's now an archived post on my Instagram. Remember when everyone was dumping cold water on themselves and posting it? Simpler times. Since then, though, I'm not really into internet challenges. I use social media constantly, and I see lot of people sharing posts because other people have started a hashtag and they want (or feel obligated) to join in. I don't judge those people, because I think that one of the positives of social media is that there aren't a lot of rules; you create and share what you feel is right, based on your own motivations. I don't see a point in belittling people who participate in those challenges because I don't see a point in judging what makes other people happy. I just don't really take part, because that's not my style. Last week, a new internet challenge sta...
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