I have no idea what to name this nor really sure where this is going. So I’m severely introverted. It doesn’t help that my friends are pulling away (normal life stuff that can’t be avoided), I just lost my job, had a terrible break up, and I’m in the last semester of graduate school. All of this combined has made me a recluse to say they least.
I’d say I’m decently close to my old coworkers and I ended up last minute going out with one of them yesterday. Now there’s a fancy coffee shop next to where we were going and I love the bathroom there so I went in and I’m like lemme show you the best thing about this place and I took him to the bathroom. He admitted it was great and gave him future bathroom design ideas.
Anyway, later we went to get dinner and he starts laughing. He’s like you’re hysterical, I can’t wait to tell our other coworker that you took me to the bathroom. And then I realized how weird that was without context. (Fyi: I’m a female and he’s male) I do stuff like this a lot where I’m passionate about weird stuff and I don’t really notice the other person’s perspective. Thankfully, we’re decently close, I know his girlfriend, and he knows I’m a tad weird but it was hilarious. Also makes me a tad worried because I guess I’m just a little naive sometimes. I don’t know. Hopefully this’ll give someone a chuckle?
1 comment
Haha! Your story did make me laugh. I gotta tell you that when my brother had his honeymoon in Europe (we’re American) he took a picture of EVERY bathroom they visited. Every hotel, every spot where he used one. Just because the bathrooms tend to be very different than the U.S., in some cases, and he just had a fascination for it. I thought it was pretty cool. Bathroom tour of Europe! Who needs to see someone’s typical vacation pics that look like everyone else’s when you can see what you don’t NORMALLY see, which is bathrooms. So, you are not alone.
Regarding being severely introverted, a lot depends on WHY you’re introverted, and if you’re okay with that status. In other words, are you a loner because you don’t prefer to be with people, maybe aren’t all that interested in them? Or do you feel uncomfortable with it and wish you weren’t?
If the former, then just embrace the fact that it takes all kinds to make the globe spin, and you don’t need to live up to anyone else’s standards to lead a happy and productive life. If the latter, that you wish things were different, then I’d suggest acting on that feeling one small step at a time.
Start with making eye contact with people and lighting up a big smile. Give a friendly greeting using a WARM tone of voice. Put 10-20 percent more ENERGY into your interactions. WHAT you say matters far less than HOW you say it. People connect on emotion more so than words. So work to convey a feeling of joy, of acceptance, of WARMTH, and you can start melting any barrier that stands between you and others.
Good luck! And keep doing your bathroom thing. I think it’s charming and hilarious.