Social interactions

Lola_G

I’m not sure why, but I find in the past few months/year I’ve started to really dislike meeting new people and talking to people I don’t know. It’s because I constantly feel drained afterwards because I feel I’ve had to put on an act and every time I do, I feel fake and like I’m not being genuine. I only really do this because I want people to like me so badly and don’t want them to think I’m weird or dumb because I’ve accidentally said something wrong or out of line.

I don’t know why I feel this way or whether it’s actually normal or not, but I really want to fix it and feel better about myself because as a result of this problem, I’ve kinda struggled to make friends and feel even more lonely than normal.

It also doesn’t help that my uni is catered and I feel I have to have someone to eat dinner or breakfast with in the dining hall, and if I don’t I just eat in my room by myself 😭

Riley_2001

@Lola_G
Hey, Lola. Firstly, thank you for sharing. ☺️ I personally think it’s normal and Infact quite common. Talking to people we don’t know can be a draining experience for a number of reasons. Especially when we feel like we may have to change parts of ourselves or we feel as though we won’t be understood by people. Making friends and loneliness can be really rough, something I have nearly a decade of experience with that feeling. I think it’s just a matter of being kind to yourself, give yourself the time, the space that you need and want. And the right people will come in time. Those people will understand you without any act. I hope you have a lovely university experience. ☺️

Lola_G

Thank you!