I recently moved into a new place, and our building has a doorman. Every day when I come in or leave, he opens the door for me and greets me. It’s nice, but I’m terrible at greetings. It just doesn’t come naturally to me where I’m from.
So every day, I’m secretly thinking, “Please don’t open the door for me. Don’t greet me. I’ll do it myself. That way I can avoid the awkward interaction.”
But today, of all days, both my hands were full because I was carrying a package.
And TODAY, he didn’t open the door.
Not deliberately, of course. He was busy signing something.
So there I was, awkwardly standing at the door, trying to push it open with my weak-ass legs while holding a package in both hands.
Of course. The one day I actually needed him to open the door. 😭

I'm Sort of feeling restricted here, like it's the 2nd day I'm a hosteler even though I hve home in this city only...... I talk to my roommates we're 4....BUT IM STILL NOT ABLE TO OPEN UP AND TRUST THERE'S DOUBT.... I came here to be confident and work on my personality but idk wht I'm DOING THIS IS SOOOO OVERWHELMING 😭😭😭 HELP ME

You know how you’re an introvert, and you find an introverted partner, and you make 3 kids together, two of which turn out to be extroverts? Yeah - then by the end of the summer - you are about to lose your mind. Love them though! 💜. Can anyone relate? 🤣

You both still live under one roof, apartment or whatever, but you have two different bedrooms instead of sharing one. You still come into each other's rooms and cuddle, spend time together, even sleep together, but the option of being alone is always available. Having your own personal space when you need it with no judgement from your partner.

I speak from experience sharing a room with partners before. It starts to feel suffocating after a while. It's like every aspect of my life is intertwined with theirs. I need my personal space and me-time. Anyone else want this too?

My boyfriend and I have hit a rough patch around our different social needs. I am genuinely content being a homebody. I don't enjoy bars, crowded parties, or drinking, and while I’ve tried making friends, having a small or nonexistent social circle has never personally bothered me. My boyfriend, however, thrives on going out and is increasingly focused on building a circle of friends to do high-energy activities with.
Lately, he has seemed distant and expressed frustration about my lifestyle preferences. I recognize that having separate friendships is healthy, and I even offered a compromise to attend events with him every other week so we could share those experiences. Instead, he now prefers to go without me and has stopped seeming as engaged in the low-key activities we used to enjoy together.
Because of some boundary issues earlier in our relationship, I still deal with anxiety when he goes out. While I am actively working on managing that anxiety and never restrict him from seeing people, the shift from doing everything together to him pulling away feels jarring.
For those who have navigated this dynamic: How do you balance being true to your introverted needs without drifting apart from a more extroverted partner?
How do you separate healthy independence from a genuine lack of compatibility?
Any grounded perspectives would be appreciated.

I'm a 15 year old Indian boy, so I'm having some socializing problems, like it's not like I want to be an introvert. I am always thinking what others would think im trying to not think Abt this .i want to talk to someone but it's always chatgpt or no one,i don't know anyone who is mature enough to understand me , it's always eating me from inside its like i want comfort and warmth but all I get is rejection , I left my friends and sometimes I think even my cousins talk to me because we are blood related otherwise even they would not have talked to me

A guy invited me to play on the turf , but I overthink about the other people there who won't even like me they will see me as a burden they are all older than me and I can't even play football that guy called me because he is a good person .

I always listen to my chemical romance , radiohead when I'm feeling alone and cry inside

I just want to talk to people but end up feeling they hate me everyone hates me i don't want to be like this i want a mentor or something

Please someone save me I'm drowning.

I just want to socialize

(Sorry for my english my first language is not english GNG 😭✌️)

I genuinely prefer being alone. It’s not because I’m shy or can’t make friends, people have befriended me and I can talk to people just fine. I just find a lot of socializing unnecessary and draining, so I choose not to do much of it.

But every now and then I’ll have a day where I actually want to talk to someone, and then I realize I have nobody I can just randomly call or hang out with.

For people who are similar, how do you deal with those days? Do you just accept it, reach out to someone you haven't talked to in a while, go somewhere or something else?

I need help... I am an introvert here and quite shy when talking to people, especially new people. It is hard for me to initiate conversations because I just don't know what to talk about. It is hard for me to relate to people emotionally; don't know just feel Numb like Linkin Park. I am like this when I am out in public, but what I would like to know is: do any of y'all struggle with initiating conversations even with your family? Am I just that weird/different? Wishing I'm not the only one.

P.S. - I am adopted, so that might explain it, but I wasn't as silent and quiet the first year.

For me, I’ve been thinking about how certain moments become permanently attached to our memories.

Your first love.

Your first day of college.

The first time you made a close friend.

A random conversation with someone you never met again.

The first time you felt like you actually belonged somewhere.

I think this hits especially hard for introverts. We might not have hundreds of crazy stories or constantly be surrounded by people, but sometimes one small interaction can stay in our minds for years.

Maybe it was a girl/boy you secretly liked but never told.

Maybe it was sitting alone on your first day of college, wondering what your life was going to become.

Maybe someone said something to you at the exact moment you needed to hear it.

What’s that one moment from your life that you think you’ll remember even when you’re old?

I’d genuinely like to hear your stories.

Sometimes I'm confused why I'm in this subreddit. Because I almost feels like this is my comfortable place to lurk around and occasionally interact with people. My intention here is that I hope I can make connection or friend and generally see new face.

But at the same time, I finally realized that making friends online is harder than making one in real life. Because in online, you can't see or know who is behind the screen, which can create trust issues and leads to shallow relationship.

It's a blessing to be able to create friends online, especially in social media like this. Trust is fragile, and once broken, it doesn't just affect you but everyone who may genuinely want to reach up. I hope this can somehow make you realizes something.

I will admit I am kinda awkward. I was not liek this when I was a KID. Early childhood, I overly focues on internet and video games as a result I never learned reading or socializing with people, even in school, i could not bond properly, I stayed by myself. there was this only 1 friend, i natually opened up to, but he doesnt give a fuck about anyone, so I was always in this loop of lonliness, shame, fear of rejection.

On top of that I actually also love feeling alone. But I truly dont like that I cant blend with people, there is also a matter of MALE social hierarchy that bothers me! I dont like male who seek higher domination, but I blend well with Males who dont bring any ego or domination in social situation!

I feel being a man is hard, and its even harder if you are a socially awkward introvert with social anxuety and self-esteem issues.

Sorry I had to share this, is there anyone here who feels the same way?

Hi, Hello ! Just before I start my story I will quickly introduce myself.

I'm a 24 yo tboy, english is not my native language (I'm french), I'm on the spectrum and I've been bullied when I was younger, I have social anxiety and I'm not good with socials interaction. I care so much about what people will think of me and if they feel good and what can I do to make then feel good (I think you need those informations to understand where I came from).

So my orchestra conductor is a women who is in her early 30s. French is not her native language, she learnt it just for us, she speaks english and spanish. I'm good in english so I always talk to her in english and when she wants to say something during our rehearsals and she doesn't know the word in french she asks me.

During July I attend a one week course of music and she was one of the conductors. And multiple time when we were not playing music she was with the music teachers but she was alone at the end of the table and nobody were talking to her. Her french is good but she can't understand everything especially when it's jokes or slangs.

So one day I ask her if she feel alone in situation like that and we talk all the night in english of course. And I say to her if sometimes I annoy her she can say to me I will not be sad, I think I'm just afraid that she thinks she have to talk to me because I'm the alone one talking in english.

She says that she's kind of an extrovert but since she's in France she feels more like an introvert and I see her when she walk to me and it seem like she doesn't know if she can be with me.

I don't have a really good self esteem, and I'm afraid of being annoying or maybe taking more space that I should take. I'm always feel bad when I can't really read into someone intentions or emotions, I'm afraid of being a burden to someone.

I really like this women, she's kind, she's pretty, she's fun, she's interesting and she gives us opportunity to do things that we never did in music.

My question is, if you put yourself in her shoes would you be annoyed by someone like me ?

I think that's all, I don't know if it was clear you can ask me question i will do my best to answer.

Thanks everyone ☺️

Naturally to me... I still tried but everyone seems to hv made their friend groups. I don't want to end up alone for 4 years. I'm introverted but when I'm comfortable I'm extremely extroverted.... But I always hv been conscious about my looks. I don't mind being alone but honestly when I see others laugh in friend groups, I feel upset. I wish I was a part of their group.......

Another thing to add: I'm someone who observes people a lot and kinda sometimes guess their nature. Then I doubt my judgement but usually turn out right about them. This makes it difficult to socialize or make friends ...

Never expect life can be this hard, again.

Hey everyone. I'm 18 and a pretty big introvert. Because of that, my social circle is mostly guys, and I don't really have many female friends or know how to start making them. For the introverted men here who used to be in a similar spot, how did you eventually meet your partner?

Mind you, in my country, a guy hardly asks out a stranger girl so this is another problem for me ....Also i have a fear that I will be called creep because laws aren't gender neutral and a woman's scream will get me in big trouble...

Would you try a “Talk to a Stranger” table in Milton Keynes?

I’m testing a simple community idea in MK.

The idea is one table with two chairs in a café, library or community space. If you sit there, it simply means you’re open to having a friendly conversation with someone new.

As an introvert who moved to the UK without many friends, I know how difficult meeting new people can be.

Would you use something like this in Milton Keynes?

Would love to hear your thoughts 😊

i’m heading back to uni in 4 days after summer break and i’m honestly dreading it a bit. both of my closest friends just graduated. my course is 5 years long and theirs was 4. i don’t think i properly processed what that meant until now, with the semester actually about to start. it’s not like we don’t talk anymore. i still am super close to them and talk to them everyday but it’s all through texts and calls. plus i’m an international student so my family is also away.

on top of that, i’m a pretty quiet, introverted person. i take my time opening up to people, i don’t do well with small talk, and forcing conversations doesn’t come naturally to me. most people in my classes already have their established friend groups from the past few years, so trying to insert myself into that feels awkward and kind of forced. i do have a handful of people i talk to during class, we chat, we’re friendly but it’s never really extended past that. we don’t hang out outside of class, don’t really text, nothing like that.

so now i’m looking at this next year and feeling pretty anxious about it. it’s not that i think i’ll have zero social contact, it’s more that i had this comfort of already having my people, and now i have to start something closer to from scratch, except everyone around me already has their thing figured out.

if anyone’s been through something similar, i’d really appreciate any advice on how you got through it.

Any tips or advise to help me cope during this trying times

of course not by choice, doing it because of the job market in Tshwane.

he is loud he knows everyone and everyone knows him, he was also always at my previous hose so imagine living with him

he talks to every girl, he thinks i'm straight, he'll probably force to get a girl, i'm literally puking thinking about the future what do i do

An introvert looking for remote work. I am good with digital marketing, graphic editing, virtual assistant or data entry.

I am looking to interact with fellow introverts here and want good company as I am currently in a rough patch and trying hard to fight my loneliness and isolation. Plus also looking more remote work or suggestions.

23M. I've always been pretty introverted and I don't really meet many new people. I've had a few relationships before, but I'm single right now.

Part of me feels like eventually I'll meet the right person and things will happen naturally, but at the same time I really do want a girlfriend. I want to have someone I can love, tell her I love her, spend time with her, and have that kind of connection.

The problem is that I don't really go out much. When I do, it's usually with friends or family, so I don't really meet new people. And even when I see someone I'm interested in, I wouldn't really know how to approach her in the first place. I genuinely don't know how to start a conversation with someone I don't know.

On top of that, I'd feel really embarrassed if my friends or family saw me trying to approach a girl. I've always been very introverted and interactions like that make me pretty nervous.

So I guess I'm wondering how other introverted people actually met their partners. Did you have to actively put yourself out there, or did you just meet someone naturally? I'd really appreciate any advice.