Have you ever heard of the saying “if you have nothing to say, don’t say anything at all?” Well, to all who can relate, this is the motto that we swear by.
Though we may know in our heads that this is perfectly normal, for some odd reason, not everybody understands that some of us are not “Chatty Cathys.”
To give you some insight, here are some of the obstacles we face when we decide not to constantly hear ourselves talk.
1. People yell at you for being “too quiet.”
Some people find silence deafening, so deafening that it makes them frustrated. Usually, this tends to be a result around people we don't know all that well but can sometimes happen within our circle of family and friends.
2. If you say nothing for long enough, people become intimidated by you
We don't bite...hard.
Just because we're quiet doesn't mean we're scary. It's just that sometimes we may not know how to start a conversation. In other situations, we might not know what to say or have anything to say at all.
3. Do you hate me?
There's this weird thing that since we don't talk much, people quickly jump to the conclusion that we dislike them. From someone else, getting the silent treatment means that they don't really want to talk to you. But from us, this is completely normal.
4. Or...they think you're a snob.
This is a weird stereotype that a lot of people come up with all because we rest our vocal chords more than you do.
In fact, we are the complete opposite of a snob, we're just as paranoid about being liked as you are. We don't know where this even comes from since the "mean girl" in every movie is much louder than we are.
5. You become lost in the crowd
If a group gets big enough, we usually get overpowered or outvoted. But, with being silent as part our nature, we just roll with it. Even though we're low key mad we didn't speak up.
6. Or worse... you get forgotten about
Whether it be at work, school or with your friends, as the "quiet one" this shockingly happens A LOT.
As the day goes on you slowly start to blend in so much that those around you forget the fact you're even there. This can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on the situation.
7. “Wow... she actually talks!!!”
Why do people get so shocked when we speak? The world may never know.
But to us, your sarcastic remarks about us talking get really annoying. We're only human, and everyone has their own quirks, you just need to realize that being quiet is ours.
8. "Is everything OK?"
For some people, when they're upset they clam up and not say anything. When it comes to us, not speaking doesn't always mean that something's wrong, it most likely means we're perfectly content.
9. “I’m not a talker, I’m an observer.”
A lot of us "quiet folk" are people watchers. We may not have much to say, but we do see everything you do. It's OK, we're only silently judging you.
10. “Oh, you must just be shy…”
Lastly, the first thing people always jump to is the fact that they think that we're shy. Just because we're quiet doesn't mean we're at all timid or easily frightened.
So to all my fellow "quiet folk" out there, just know you're not the only ones, and hopefully, those around you will one day understand.
