u/Rosalinn1

This might be very obvious to some, but I never realized how rude not talking can come across to other people.
I’ve always been told that I need to talk more, socialize more, and make friends. I’ve always struggled with social interactions and tend to overthink everything I say. Because of that, I usually avoid socializing because it’s honestly so draining for me. Every time I talk to someone, it feels like I’m putting on an act.
I always thought no one actually liked small talk—that it was just something people did because they were bored or because it was expected. Because of that, I don’t usually engage in it. I keep my responses brief because I find conversations so exhausting.

I’m overall a very quiet person and a loner because talking to people drains me. I also have very severe social anxiety. It’s come to my attention that a lot of people do not like me. Friends of friends don’t like me. Classmates don’t like me. Coworkers don’t like me. And now my preceptors don’t like me.

The thing is, I’m always polite and nice. I’m just quiet. I don’t usually go out of my way to make small talk or start conversations. The only reason I know people don’t like me is because they’ve told people close to me.
Genuinely, I’m shocked and confused about why anyone would be offended by me not wanting to talk. Why do people judge someone just because they don’t say much?
Maybe it’s because I come across as aloof or distant. I’ve been told that’s how I seem. I guess that would explain why I’ve always had such a hard time making friends—people probably assumed I was uninterested or didn’t like them.

I’m just exhausted being this way. It feels like just by existing and keeping to myself, I’m being judged. I feel like I can never win. I know not everyone will like me and I’m ok with that, but for a good amount of people to have that preconception of me is just too much.

It has genuinely been over 10 years since I’ve had a single real friend, and I’m not exaggerating. I can mask well enough to seem normal on the outside, but no matter what I do, I can never actually form close friendships. I’ve never experienced simple things that seem so normal to everyone else, like hanging out with friends after class, studying together for exams, going on trips, or even casually eating out together. I’ve always wanted those experiences, but I honestly do not know how to socialize naturally.

People always give generic advice like “just put yourself out there” or “practice social skills,” but they don’t understand that some of us genuinely struggle with this every single day. I’ve tried following guides, watching videos, reading advice online, and forcing myself into social situations, but it never works out the way it seems to for everyone else.

What frustrates me the most is when people romanticize autism and ADHD online like they’re quirky personality traits. For me, this has completely affected my ability to connect with people and even impacted my work life. I’m not trying to be different or unique. I’m actively struggling just to function normally and experience the kinds of relationships other people seem to form so easily.

I feel like I’ve spent my whole life wanting a normal social life and still not being able to reach it no matter how hard I try.

Hi everyone, does anyone know what the long term side effects of facial contouring are and how people feel about it 1+ years later? Most posts I find are only a few weeks or months post op, so it’s hard to know what the actual long term experience is like.

I’ve been trying to research this but there are barely any English posts talking about it honestly. I found some Japanese YouTube videos (auto translated) where people talked about recovery being really painful and difficult. One lady even said food kept getting stuck in one of her incision areas afterward, which I’ve never really heard people mention before. Most posts make the surgery sound pretty painless or easy. I just find it concerning the amount of ambiguity surrounding the long term effects.

Since everything was auto translated, I don’t fully know what they meant or how severe it was. I just want people to honestly share what this surgery was actually like long term and how much it affected them. Any lingering issues, regrets, numbness, chewing problems, sagging, etc? Was it worth it?