I am jealous of people who can easily say how they feel and wear their heart on their sleeve. Using words to express emotion is easy for some, but not so easy for others. Without skipping a beat they can tell you what's on their mind. I'm jealous of that ability. I am a quiet one with my emotions.

I keep it all to myself. I don't necessarily "bottle it up" but I spend a lot of time thinking before I ever say it out loud. If you know me well enough, you can read my face and see that I'm processing something, but I won't say it out loud.

This is something I know is problematic behavior, but it's a behavior I have had for a long time and it's proven to work out better for me. Let's say you sent me a big, long text message about how you feel. I probably will send back about two very vague sentences, or not reply for a long time.

This will likely not be making a step forward in our situation, but it definitely won't be making steps back through misunderstanding or miscommunication. When you don't communicate as much, you have a less chance of it being interpreted the wrong way.

I also like to think that staying silent in some situations as "choosing my battles." When I spend my time thinking about how I feel and what I want to say I take into consideration the possible reactions that would come from it. I may reason with myself that it's not even worth express that emotion because of the anticipated outcome.

For me, choosing not to say anything and not share my emotions creates a less stressful life. I don't have long, heated arguments with friends or significant others because I choose not to engage my energy in it.

There a lot of things in life that just are not worth the brain power and I am truly happier not engaging in petty conversations that will not benefit anyone in the long-run.

I guess you could call me an over-thinker, but not the pessimistic kind. I have a thousand trains of thought running through my mind, but they aren't unreasonable.

My brain takes its time to filter through logical outcomes and potential reactions.

I could never pinpoint an exact train of thought and tell you what it is, but they all work together to come to a sensible conclusion, and while my brain does that I stay silent. However long it takes, whether it be ten minutes or three days.

I'm not running my emotions all over the board by overthinking about unrealistic things but rather getting them in order and truly understanding how I feel.

When I am confident I understand how I am feeling and how to express that emotion through my words, then I will speak on it. Some people don't understand and don't want to wait for me to come to my conclusion, and that's alright.

I don't expect every person to be complying with how long my brain takes to process, but I also won't lose any sleep over how understanding myself makes another individual feel. All that matters to me is that I am coping and addressing my emotions within myself.

I am not ignoring someone by choosing not to respond or engage. I am not being shy because I do not want to speak all the time. I simply just think differently than others. What works for me is not what works for everyone.

So if you're annoyed by the quiet one, don't be. Respect the way our brain works and know that we are trying.