Originally posted by caleb01
I've never ever been very social. I hardly ever spoke in school even to the teachers. In kindergarten children would avoid me because I was so silent and I was eventually sent to a social worker that i've had to go to for six years. I hardly ever even talk to my parents. I am now thirteen and I go to middle school, but things are still the same. I wouldn't necessarily say i'm depressed, but yes I am sad a lot inside. The most words I usually say in a day are about 10 although I speak very fluent with a well built vocabulary. When people talk to me I have no idea on what I should say and when I do say something i'm afraid of people judging me. When I say something people stare at me as if it's a miracle of some sort and I feel as though everyone staring at me....I then get really embarrassed, hot, and red in the face. Is there anything I can do or perhaps any pills I can take? I've thought about trying (cannabis) weed...(just once every week or so), since everyone I know is doing it. I'm really smart for my age (as most people say) and adept to learning. I'm 13, studying mathematics, physics, programming, and hardware engineering...will something like weed really effect me in a bad way? I just want to be more sociable and more able to talk to people...i'm sick of being an outcast to people. I just want to be happy and more capable of making friends. The most i've ever had were 3 or 5 and I get really lonely.
Look, the drugs thing, I wouldn't do it. May not seem like it, but at a young age, you are more likely to fall into the wrong crowd of kids.
I used to be like you, about 9th grade is when I started gaining some more friends, I was weird and shy yet very smart, I played video games alone all the time because I really didn't have any other friends to hang out with.
All I can say is, if you are looking for friends, turn to your peers in class and crack a joke, start talking to them, maybe discuss some school at first and find a common interest. Befriending people might be slow but when you make 1 or 2 friends, start hanging with them and eventually you will be friends with that group. That group is now a group of people you know who you can use to expand your social life with and be able to go up to and talk to while they are talking to others to get yourself even more known.
(I have a large amount of people that know me, I could walk up to a lot of people and hold conversations but 2 years ago, I didn't know 4/5 of the people I know today because I didn't talk to anyone, I stayed pulled in and I was getting out of 4 years of hell (Family issues). It's slow but if you keep at it and just chat, you will gain friends, people are accepting)
I'm still weird, (even socially awkward) but every person says that once the ice was broken that I am fun to talk to, nerdy and nice. I get introduced to new people quite a bit.
Just keep at it. Stay away from the drugs and just keep a smile of your face. You will meet people who will accept you and if they don't, they are not good friends to start out anyways.
---------- Post added at 02:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:52 PM ----------
Originally posted by Epic
I wish I could give you some sort of success story, but, to be honest, I still get flustered. I'm still a touch socially awkward. But I've made progress. I can talk to people, even those who I've never met before, or people who are naturally intimidating. What I've found is that you have to become comfortable and accepting of yourself.
I'm still fighting this, I have to get comfortable or be around people I know to help me break the ice and then that's when I come out. If it's me and a person I don't know, it's still very hard but I find ways.
I am still socially awkward but it's not the worse thing in the world.
The hardest thing I find is talking to girls still, I'm almost 18. I find myself very comfortable around people I know but girls I have an interest in, who are cute, or I don't know, that's where things get tough for myself, finding what to say is hard.
Originally posted by another user
You might think you're comfortable in your own skin, but you're most likely not (in fact, I'd say that most people your age are not). The secret to this is to start being who you want to be, and then find people similar to you. When I was at my peak awkwardness, I dressed in sweatpants or long athletic pants (they were actually very comfortable) and a large, thick jacket (and I used it as a barrier from the world). I wore it pretty much everywhere. I never talked and avoided everyone. I was absolutely miserable. Everyday I saw people living the life I wanted to live.
Described me until about 11th grade.