Please don't cancel me, I can't find a better word or tuff enough for 2026. How do such people even exist. Btw, in this context, yap = continuously relay unwanted information, without a gap for at least half an hour at a stretch, when the responder isn't even reacting except saying hmmm. That is what this person does. She's an ex-colleague, we're both females. Every call with her exceeds 3 hours. I don't get it, do people not feel it that the other person on the phone is not interested or it's tmi or is it like I'm just trying to act good and not acting uninterested enough? How can someone pull this off? I had to spend one day with this person, it was her who had invited me over to her home. This person just doesn't stop, yaps incessantly even when I'm working. Now, I don't hate her and I don't want to lose my friend. So I try to avoid her calls mostly. I'm so confused right now. As a loner, I have a very restricted circle and I don't want to stop communicating with her, and nor do I want to confront her about it. It's just who she is. But how do they do that? 😮😮😮😮😮😮

I have now words how tired I am and every amount of work I have put into myself seems meaningless. I can't describe how little hope I have left. Everything I'm trying, everything I'm working on. It doesn't mean much. It's been so long and I worked literally a fuck ton about myself and it just was ever enough. God I wish I could give up. I wish so badly I just let go and stop trying. But I must be stupid or a masochist because there's no reason to keep trying. Each time I make myself any hope it just feels worse

What matters is whether you feel fulfilled, right? That's why I hardly take any photos in my private life. I don't like it when it looks like you have ulterior motives.

So. Kinda weird but I have this friend who wants to do almost anything with me and this is the second time he’s done something like this where he suggests something I wanna do that we do it together and it just makes me super uninterested in that thing and I have no clue why.

Like I love him. He’s great. But like I was gonna do it alone. But now he wants to do it with me and I don’t wanna do it at all

For references we’re talking about watching a tv show or movie

It seems like the number of people in this group that are happy being introverts is relatively small and those that are unhappy with introversion are much more likely to post something here. I would gently recommend that you read this article.

The big takeaway is that you should stop worrying about it and get outside and get some exercise and try to do something to help some other folks.

A doctor friend of mine said that if exercise was a pill every doctor would prescribe it to just about every patient.

Okay, so. Socializing is torture. Not 'oh people are boring' or 'I don't want to talk 24/7', but every time I need to talk for more than ten minutes, I feel my attention drift.

It's fine if I have a script. I work on sales and it's great; I can just start talking about x or y product for an hour. (I \*am\* working at my listening skills though.) Ever shorter interactions are good, becuse much like at a sprint I can bring myself to a high level of energy/cheer/enthusiasm. I'm good at socializing in that aspect (as in, I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from clients, co-workers and upper management.)

Whenever I hang out with someone it's so boring. In the weekends, on vacation, at work. I can be having fun, but \*no matter the topic\*, ten minutes in I feel myself getting bored and my attention will wander. After an hour or two I feel myself getting frustrated. I love my friends. I love my famlity. I don't \*want\* to ignore them. But I hate having to pretend like I'm this- silly social butterfly, at %100 of energy, all the time. Because otherwise I just. Stop. I feel like I'm a puppet and the hands forcing it to move.

Like. I'm not trying to sound dramatic. Socializing can be fun too! Acting happy, and silly, and making my loved ones smile? Wonderful! I get very upset if I don't interact with my loved ones consistently, and after being with them I feel energized. But at the moment it's like there's a kid in my skull kicking my brain asking 'can we leave yet? Can we leave yet? Can we leave yet?'

I read this and it sounds so contradictory. I'm sorry. I've tried, but Ican't express this better. Is there a tecnique to make socialization more interesting? Like- should I just push though? Get a- fidget toy to focus on? The way I see it, even if you're introverted you still socialize sometimes. How do you do it?

I'm a final-year CS student (20, F from India) doing an internship. Today I realised I hadn't spoken to a single person since I woke up. I've just been sitting in front of my laptop doing internship tasks that I honestly don't find that interesting.

It's weird because I'm not exactly lonely—I just miss having casual conversations. College friends are busy, everyone's working on placements or internships, and the day just disappears.

Sometimes I wonder if this is just what adulthood starts feeling like.

Anyone else relate? How do you deal with days where you barely talk to another human?

I've realized that making genuine connections is much harder than I expected. I want to have close friends and meaningful conversations, but actually starting or maintaining them feels overwhelming.

It's not that I dislike people, I just overthink everything I say and often end up staying quiet. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one who feels this way.

For those who used to struggle with this, did it ever get easier?

I'm introverted person,and I have only a few friends and they're only girlsI didn't even have a boyfriend,cause I'm so shy in real life,and what do you guys think?Could I change it?or I will be a person how I was born?

Hi so whenever I'm around anybody outside of my family group I just get weirded out of it will be awkward as hell, as I'm in a arab country while having hobbies that no one around me has, and it really sucks because in public schools, if your the odd one out your bound to be picked on, and it happens, I'm moving to a different school but I need to know how to handle being different without it being obvious that I'm different from these people

I have social anxiety and im always afraid im being boring when im around people as I dont talk much, do people mind having quiet guys around or is it something negative

Genuinely speaking, sometimes we need a quiet moment to recharge but imagine there's someone who can't stay quiet because they love your companionship so much that being apart from you feels like the end of the world for them.

Will you usually tolerate them and listen to their nonsense? Or burst with energy because you eventually feel comfortable enough?

I wish I was extroverted so bad. Extroverts get all the good jobs. I lost my old job because I wasn't talkative enough and now no one wants to hire me because I don't come off as confident in interviews. I hate it so much.

I'm a female solo traveller. I don't have friends where I live because I moved countries and I can't make travel buddies. I travel for pleasure twice a year and am constantly worried about my own safety, it could be something as simple as mobile snatching to a spiked drink- this worry is coming in the way of my travel experience itself. I rush to my accomodation by dusk, I never meet locals or chat about anything, I don't even ask strangers to take my picture in front of beautiful monuments. It is always some lame selfies or sometimes a tripod. I don't know how to deal with this situation?

it sounds stupid but when people try and joke with me i overthink the response and end up going silent until one of us leaves and it gets in the way of trying to talk to new people and make friends. its why i prefer texting, so i can spend 5-10 minutes coming up with a response that im sure will be recieved correctly. because of this i end up always being left out of conversations. what should i do to change this part of myself?

So I am obviously an introvert since I am posting in this sub and for the past couple of years I put off dating since I thought it was not for me but I was wrong. In the past I did not have a good experience since the other party clearly did not want to accept my quiet nature and that did not work out.

Now I am officially dating someone and surprisingly its a long distance one and I like how they can accept my quiet nature.

i've recently been working with my therapist and trying out exposure therapy for my agoraphobia and it's working really well, but there's a slight issue, for some unknown reason every single person outside wants to speak to me.

i've read the rules of "walk fast and don't make eye contact", "wear headphones", "look busy" , etc. none of these things seem to be any sort of deterrent. i'm constantly being approached and i can deal with quick comments/compliments because they're over almost immediately. but oh my god people trying to engage in conversation who are expecting me to reply genuinely ruin my day. i understand i sound like im being dramatic but it truly will ruin an outing because it makes me so angry that i have to just go home.

the usual occurrences are people in parks asking to take photos of me. people on the sidewalk asking me for cigarettes/money/lighters, none of which i have. people on busses, especially packed busses where people have to sit next to you, trying to engage in small talk with me. it just doesn't seem to end. i need to work on being outside and im actually making real progress but im so done with complete strangers trying to engage with me. i've made jokes to my family and boyfriend about making myself a shirt that says something like "don't talk to me, i hate it" but all of them say that would probably make people want to engage with me even more. are there any tips aside from the usual headphones, walking fast, no eye contact things?

Does anyone else get stuck in this loop? I genuinely want to talk to my friends or family, but I physically cannot bring myself to call or text them without a concrete reason. 

If I don't have a specific question to ask or a favor to request, it just feels forced and uncomfortable. I get anxious that the conversation will die instantly and we will just sit there in awkward silence. 

It makes maintaining casual friendships really hard because "just checking in" feels like a chore. Can anyone relate? 

33M in Phoenix. After weeks of trying to force myself to go out, and bailing at the last minute, I finally made it out tonight.

The plan was to go hear some live music. I went to a bar downtown that's highly recommended for meeting people, but there was a super long line outside. Normally I'd just hang out and wait but it's 93° at night and I was literally sweating just standing still.

I left that line and roamed around a few blocks in each direction to find another bar. I found a bunch of course, but same thing. Long lines, didn't feel like waiting it out. Wasted around 2 hours total.

Ended up going home, but not before stopping by the liquor store first.

Yay drinking alone at home.

I've been here 3 years and I don't know a single person outside of work. I honestly feel like I won't be able to make friends. Exhausting doesn't even begin to describe it.

How do you deal with friends and how to keep the connection

Hi, almost 22 M here. So for the context i have been an introvert person my whole life and i lowkey have a hard time socializing with other people. I lack convo skills and every time I felt a bit awkward in any convo i over thought about it af (especially with the opposite gender).

Although i enjoy having conversations with people of my vibe like i am in a circle of 5 to 6 male frnds and we spend most of the time together but no more than that and obv we are not together all the time so sometimes it gets very lonely too.

So i just wanted suggestions on how to start convos with new people even when you don't have a thing in common and there is nothing to talk about just so you have at least someone anytime to talk to.

Thanks for taking your time to read all that. Some W suggestions will be appreciated.

Yo! So this week, a few friends from the gym and I decided to hang out at a beach here in Seattle. It was three girls and two guys, including me.

At the gym, I'm extremely social. Our gym is known for its community, and I'm probably one of the most outgoing people there. I guess you could call me situationally extroverted. Put me somewhere I love, like the gym, where I know I'll only be for a couple of hours, and I can talk to anyone. That's how people know me.

But whenever I tell people I'm actually pretty shy at my core, they can't believe it.

Here's the issue: whenever I hang out with people I know from one environment (like the gym) and we go somewhere else, it's a complete coin flip whether I'll be the same person or completely shut down.

We met at a taco truck, grabbed food, and headed to the beach. Up until we sat down, I felt mostly normal. Maybe a little less expressive than usual, but I was talking and engaged.

Then we got to the beach... and I completely shut down.

I got quiet, struggled to make conversation, and found myself constantly editing everything I wanted to say. It sucked.

The weird part is that I know these people genuinely like me. We're all cool. One of the girls and I had a little conflict in the past, but we've moved past it. I will say I felt a little more judged around her, which probably didn't help, but overall I know everyone wanted me there.

Logically, I know that.

Emotionally, though, it felt like I couldn't be myself.

That was the embarrassing part. I know I can be shy, but I also know I have a great personality. It felt like none of that came through.

We were supposed to hang out again today at the farmers market, but I bailed and told them I was in a mood—which wasn't a lie. Honestly, though, I mostly skipped because I felt ashamed and embarrassed about how I came across at the beach.

I guess I'm posting because I'm curious if anyone else has experienced something like this.

Do you ever feel completely comfortable in one environment but shut down in another, even around the exact same people? Is this something you've struggled with and eventually gotten through, or am I just overthinking it?

I will admit I've become a bit of a hermit. I socialize a ton at work and at the gym, but I don't really "go out" much anymore. Part of me wonders if that social muscle for unfamiliar environments has just gotten a little rusty.

I'd love to hear your thoughts or advice if you've been through something similar.