What do you feel like saying, right now?

[Phrozen Sands]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Yep.
I used to be like super outgoing — like… “talk to anyone, always making new friends kind of outgoing”. But over the years, that’s changed. Not because I’ve become cold or anti-social, but because I’ve seen how unpredictable people can be. Sensitivities have gotten louder, assumptions fly faster, and sometimes even the smallest comment gets twisted into something it was never meant to be. It’s really exhausting.

So these days, I just keep my circle small, my family close, and like three coffee friends who’ve earned my trust. That’s it. Not because I don’t like people, but because emotional safety matters. Energy is expensive. And once you realize how rare it is to meet people who get you without misreading you, you stop offering access to everyone.

That’s also why I ignore most people outside my bubble now. I mean, it’s not weird energy or anything like that, it’s self-preservation. Know what I mean? I’ve learned that kindness doesn’t require openness, and maturity sometimes means knowing when to keep the door closed. If that makes sense.

This! Exactly, CG. But nowadays, folks are sensitive about the wrong things and passive about the right things. It’s maddening.