Does anyone not fit in and is at peace with that

[Notreallynormal]

I have a handful of close friends who I have known for years. They are separate friends rather than a group and don't live nearby so i only see them occasionally.

That aside I really struggle to click with people. I am aware work colleagues find me irritating but to be honest I find I have little in common and am less bothered about being liked than I used to me. I spend time with them trying to be more like them and get a bit worn out and do have times of thinking there is something wrong with me. There are a couple of colleagues I don't do this with who I really like and relate to. But mostly it's quite wearing.

With my old friends I feel accepted as myself, never feel anything other than I love seeing them. But because they don't live nearby I do miss company at times - yet feel so different to others.

I wonder if others relate. And how to manage. I was thinking maybe I need to find a class or similar so I have come company with a focus.

Woah.

Speaking of seeming ‘very bothered’, and not(…?) giving ‘flying fucks’…….. ?

My suggesting that there are some very sneery posts on this thread has clearly bothered you a lot.

It’s fairly clear that this poster’s ‘quietness’ is a trauma response, so not sure it illustrates the point you’re trying to make.

I’m referring to @Thmssngvwlsrnd ’s post.

Not at all, I'm quite enjoying the freedom to express myself without constraints in a group of some like-minded humans 😁

@AuDHD4Me , I hear you, loud and clear, and am drawn, like a magnet, to quirky, unusual, interesting people who, like myself, are quiet, sensitive, thoughtful, cognitive and prefer wide open green spaces, surrounded by living things, rather than 'busy' social settings👌

This is me!😊

@StrangeLittleGirl, welcome to the very exclusive club!

For me, fitting in often means masking my true self. I much prefer the company of a few people who it took time to get to know.

I don't have a problem being by myself - got used to it growing up (I find it easier walking into a group of strangers than people I work with!). As I've got older I feel like I've developed FOMO when ex-colleagues meet-up with each other and I know I don't even see their most recent posts on Insta etc. Don't get me wrong, I think it's lovely if i hear they've met up, just makes me more aware that I've never had real friends who've wanted to stay in contact - and it depresses me to know that was a life lesson I somehow missed when growing up 😞