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I'm 17 and I'm wondering if I'm just socially awkward

Started by mellowscout19 · · 👁 5 views · 3 replies

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Participants mellowscout19Arthur Brown15silverraven7Emily Ortiz7
mellowscout19 mellowscout19 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Jan 2012
#1 ·
Evening, everyone. I'm not sure if this belongs here, but I figured I’d give it a shot.
I'm 17, a junior in high school, and honestly? I can't tell if I'm just socially stunted.
During school hours, I hang out with my classmates, but once break hits? Absolutely nothing.
I don't go out at all. I didn't really have a crew back in middle school, and that group fell apart pretty fast anyway.
I found some friends in high school, but it's strictly a school thing.
I met a guy on social media who lives 311 miles far from me, but we click because we share the same interests. I also found a girl living 311 miles away from me.
I have my school friends—mostly girls, since I don't really talk to the guys.
I have a best friend, but we rarely see each other; she's always dealing with family drama or some new boyfriend.
Two of my school friends live way outside the city limits, and transportation is a nightmare. Since we aren't adults yet, the other two have their own groups and head out without me.
My relationship with my parents is great, and I get along well with my sisters too. I do well in school and have almost everything I need—I'm not demanding, just modest, I guess. My close friend moved to San Diego two years ago, so I don't see her anymore either.
On paper, life looks perfect. It isn't. It eats at me that I don't go out. To make matters worse, I live right on a main road, so I constantly hear teenagers out there having fun while I'm stuck inside. It doesn't help.
I cry about it more often than I'd admit. I feel constant loneliness, but nobody sees it because I play the part of the happy, bubbly person. Then I lock myself in my room and scream internally. I've opened up to a few friends; they feel bad for me, but no one actually knows how to help. I even vented to my mom, but she's got enough on her plate as it is.
That guy I met online who lives 311 miles far away is going through the exact same thing, though his situation is its own special kind of mess.
I'm lost. People keep telling me to "just find a hobby" or something, but that's useless advice. 🤷

__________________
Arthur Brown15 Arthur Brown15 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Jan 2012
#2 ·
It sounds like you’ll be heading off to college pretty soon. My advice? Try to get away from your current surroundings and move to a different city—ideally somewhere bigger with more opportunities and options. In the meantime, you just have to hang in there. Find something else to occupy your mind; maybe dive into music, pick up a new hobby, or focus on your studies. I've always felt that patience is one of the most important traits to have. Some things just take time, and they happen when they happen. You mentioned you already have almost everything you want in terms of material things, so I'm sure this other side of life will fall into place too. But that non-material stuff requires time, and there isn't much we can do to force it. Until then, just stay busy with things that actually fulfill you so you don't slip into a slump or end up feeling depressed. Good luck.

Best, 😉
silverraven7 silverraven7 Active Member
51 messages
joined May 2012
#3 ·
I mean, honestly, looks like you’ve got it pretty easy, don't you? You claim you’ve got everything you want, you get along with the elders, you’ve got a solid circle of friends, you're killing it in school...
Look, I'm saying this from the perspective of someone who's older than you and, frankly, has seen a hell of a lot more of how the world actually works.

It’s painfully obvious there’s zero friction in your life; everything just slides right into place. That’s the problem—you have absolutely no drive or motivation because you haven't had to fight for a single damn thing. Nothing is earned, nothing is hard.
Maybe you should pick up a sport, and I don't mean some casual weekend hobby, but something competitive where you actually give a damn about winning?
That might actually jumpstart your system, you know? Chasing a win is supposed to be fun and demanding, and it's exactly what you need to actually see who you are when things get intense and start building some actual backbone.

The vibe I get is that you’re living a double life—on the outside, you’re totally fine, but deep down, you’re just miserable. And let me tell you, that’s a bad way to live. Why bother being ashamed or running away from who you really are? You're basically setting yourself up to lose friends, because if they ever actually caught a glimpse of the real you, they might just walk away.
Just something to chew on.
Emily Ortiz7 Emily Ortiz7 Newcomer
1 message
joined Jan 2012
#4 ·
Look, I’m 26 years old and I’ve probably only gone out on the town maybe five times in my entire life... so you really need to just push aside all those judgmental voices telling you what you "should" be doing and start actually listening to your gut. If you don't feel like going out, then honestly, just don't. There is absolutely no reason to waste your energy crying over this; you’re only 17 and you are still busy figuring out who you are as a person! Just take it easy and give yourself some breathing room!

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