You've probably heard the term "old soul" before. What exactly does it mean? The term means that someone is wise beyond their years, usually very stable emotionally, and has a lot of understanding of the world and their surroundings. Almost sounds like a compliment right? Not always. There are many struggles that accompany the great traits of being an old soul. Since I am so young, I'm sure it'll suck less as I get older, but for now here are the constant problems I, among other "old souls," experience:
1) It is lonely.
You don't fit in with people your age, your definitely not fitting in with people younger than you, and most of your friends, who end up being older than you, have full lives of their own. This calls for a lot of alone time, most of which won't bother you as independence is a key trait of being an old soul, but let's face it, everybody needs somebody at some point.
2) Finding a significant other.
People your age are basically immediately eliminated out of the dating pool. Based on the maturity difference it would require extreme patience and the odds of it working are slim to none so it's just not worth wasting anyone's time. Obviously dating someone younger is just as bad, if not worse than dating someone your own age, and dating someone older can be "looked down upon." And just because someone is older doesn't always mean they're more mature, so that's another variable that comes to play. Really you just have to wish for the best.
3) You forget how to have fun.
Or at least the type of fun your peers are having. People your age don't understand you, and sometimes you don't understand them. This usually makes making long term friends hard, but you don't need a lot of friends. Just a few good ones. Needing a mass of friends goes away as you age and mature you really understand the concept of quality>quantity. However, watching a ton of your peers go out and do things that look fun remind you of your differences and kind of alienate you from them. You can watch it happen and know you wouldn't get an ounce of enjoyment out of it and wonder why not? You kinda feel jipped of your childhood and "fun" years because you enjoy other things.
4) Everyone comes to you for advice..
This is a good thing, but it has a struggle, who do YOU turn to when you need advice? Your problems aren't usually "Why did Betty talk about me behind my back?" or "Gretchen's selfie copied mine." So who do you turn to when you feel your life is getting heavy? Exactly.. Here's where the few good friends come in handy..
5) You're Harder On Yourself.
Because you feel different you want to use the traits you have to just get ahead. If you aren't going to have the "wild" years then might as well use them to get on in your life and move towards your goals. So when you want to progress faster than life allows it can be frustrating and discouraging.
That is my top 5. If you are an old soul, embrace it. Make friends with grandmas, who cares! Enjoy your walks in the park, your book on the porch, and your glass of wine with dinner! Do what makes you happy and the right people will enter your life.
REMINDERS TO NON-OLD SOULS.
-We are NOT boring. We like to have fun too, but it just might not be what you would choose. It doesn't mean we don't want to be included.
-We are still young and dumb. We make mistakes just like everyone else. We don't know everything and it doesn't make us superior.
-We aren't weird. We aren't overly deep. We aren't old people.
