Alone is grand. Alone is good. The "Quiet" book helps.
also tunes for work 🎶 and TV shows 📺
Some work projects I have going on right now require me to talk to more people than usual, and that’s difficult for me.
It shouldn’t be. I like these people. I work from home. They’re not technically difficult convos to have.
But it’s still true.
As time goes on and I become more sure of myself, the more I want to be by myself.
I become more introverted with age.
And to be honest I like it.
It’s not a problem 99% of the time.
HOWEVERRRRRRR……
The holiday season mixed with these extra work convos has me frazzled.
And when I get frazzled by something that seems to be no issue for anyone else, it can sometimes make me feel like I suck.
How come everyone else can handle it just fine and I can’t??
But then I remember it’s not true.
There’s no proof that nobody else is struggling.
There’s no real reason it’s a negative thing to enjoy being by myself.
There’s no real reason it should be a positive thing to be able to juggle loads of convos and events for a few months without pause or issue.
It’s all entirely neutral and factual.
I feel it in my body when I get overloaded. That’s just a signal. Genuine feedback at its most basic level.
One quote that helps me feel like less of a piece for shit is from “Quiet” by Susan Cain (a fuckin phenomenal book about/for all types of introverts!!!):
“Whoever you are, bear in mind that appearance is not reality. Some people act like extroverts, but the effort costs them energy, authenticity, and even physical health. Others seem aloof or self-contained, but their inner landscapes are rich and full of drama. So the next time you see a person with a composed face and a soft voice, remember that inside her mind she might be solving an equation, composing a sonnet, designing a hat. She might, that is, be deploying the powers of quiet.”
Another thing that helps me is that I know I can handle more physical stress than most people.
In the same way that I can’t expect everyone to be able to flip or lift as much as I can because of my athletic background, I can’t expect myself to emotionally handle as much stimulation as someone who is a natural extrovert or who has been working a corporate job their whole life.
Additionally, there have been other periods in my life where I juggled WAYYYYY more shit between school and athletics.
I also had a far less rich internal world back then.
So it’s really just a trade-off.
I *get to* have this deep enjoyment and appreciation for my inner solo world, which simply comes with less of a capacity to deal with external stimuli from other people.
More room for me means less room for them and that’s fine :)
This little overloaded period only temporary anyways.
Thank you for letting my coach myself on this page lol
Onto some other shit.
❣️ETCETERAS❣️
Andre 3000’s new album is far from his usual, but it’s the perfect soundtrack for plugging away at my desk.
Some other great instrumental albums for work time:
🧑‍💻 The Inception Soundtrack for frantic, high intensity work
🧑‍💻 The Ratatouille Soundtrack for lighter, fast-paced work (the first song has French lyrics, but the rest has none)
🧑‍💻 Magnifique by Ratatat is the ultimate mediumish vibes for all types of work imo I’VE LISTENED TO IT MANY HUNDREDS OF TIMES
Alsoooo and unrelated, this is the most wholesome Tiktok I’ve ever seen in it made me so happy 🥹🥹🥹
@soaphia03bro’s entire world combusted #sat #satreaction #dad #fyp
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Lastly…
Brandon and I just finished season 2 of Welcome to Wrexham and i’ve never been a bigger fan.
It was so so good.
If you’re an American and want a fun, entertaining intro to the sport of soccer featuring a couple of your favorite movie and TV stars from Deadpool and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, i highly recommend it 🤌
Another series we recently finished before that is The Righteous Gemstones.
We think it’s HILARIOUS, but if you’re not okay with crude humor or jokes about religion you would definitely hate it.
It’s my favorite thing John Goodman has done since The Big Lebowski and the best thing Danny McBride’s ever made imooooo
That’s all i got today! Talk soon :)
xoxo,
AV
