Intelligent People Have Social Anxiety

Due to my anxiety around people, I prefer to be alone. Opening my mouth to speak warrants much nervousness and overthinking as opposed to writing my thoughts and texting, which allows me to respond at my convenience. Why? Because I am not given the space to be thoughtful. In any in-person or phone conversation I am rarely provided enough time to really contemplate what’s being asked of me. People get impatient when they are forced to wait for answers.

This leads me to ask why am I being penalized for not arriving at an answer that satisfies you on your time? Why does your misunderstanding of me result in holding me hostage and asking me a bunch of annoying ass follow up questions? Lastly, why is your ignorance my problem?

Most of the time the only answer people deserve is, “Oh.” The words escaping their mouths aren’t that interesting, at least to me. But as humans would have it, if something is intriguing to them it is worth sharing with others. And we are held hostage emotionally, as we must share the same reaction or else someone’s feelings are bound to be hurt.

Apathy really needs to be normalized.

I’m annoyed just thinking about it. I am not a girlfriend, wife, auntie, or mother. Can you respect the fact that I will never find your children and partners as wonderful, funny, or frustrating as you…