Leave my Comfort Zone? I'd rather Not.

         I love trying new things, especially when it comes to things that give me an adrenaline rush. Jet Skiing, Tubing, Zip-lining, I love all of it. In that sense I leave my comfort zone constantly. But when it comes to my social comfort zone, I never leave it. 

I've always been very introverted. I'm the kind of person that prefers sitting on the side simply observing rather than actively participating. I'm always the quietest person in a conversation. I hate eating with people at lunch; and meeting new people is always a headache for me. For most of my life I hated how awkward and shy I was. I thought I was prohibiting myself from experiencing some grand experience. I was wrong.

I tried participating more, adding more to conversations, eating with friends at lunch and I realized I'm not missing anything. I hate the feeling of having to balance eating with talking to someone. I scarf food down like a wild animal and I have horrible table manners. I also hate talking when I don't have anything to add. I despise feeling like I'm BS-ing my way through a conversation. I'd rather just nod my head and agree if I agree. I also hate being social when I don't feel like it. I'm not the kind of person who enjoys hanging out with large groups of people. I'd rather be in smaller, more intimate settings. For me hanging out with lots of people on a regular basis feels exhausting. I'd rather sit on my couch with a bowl of cereal and watch old reruns of some true crime show until I fall asleep. That's just the way I am. 

I'm not going to act like I’m perfect just the way I am. Sometimes I could benefit from getting out of my shell a little bit. Over the summer I met a college coach who wanted to recruit me and thank god my parents were there. The conversation was full of awkward long pauses and discomfort, I didn't know what questions to ask, or how to properly respond to his. My parents carried me through the entire tour. In that situation I should have said something, anything, even if I didn't have anything to add. The same thing happened when I met a different college coach, he was teaching me how to use better technique for my glide. My saving grace was that I spent most of the time throwing rather than talking. If my personality had to impress him, I don't think he'd still be interested in me. 

In cases like those I could benefit from being more extroverted even if it makes me uncomfortable. I don't think I need to walk around screaming the song lyrics that I can't get out of my head or rambling about the gnat that crawled all over my fruit salad at lunch like I would at home. But I could try to be more approachable. Sometimes simply listening and observing isn't good enough. I need to find a perfect balance between being myself and being closed off. I'm sure other introverts can relate to that. Feeling like you're lacking the balance between being yourself and being socially awkward. I wish I had some plan for how I'm going to fix this problem but in my 16 years of being an introvert I haven't found a perfect solution. I hope in the upcoming months I can figure it out so I don't make a fool out myself at college interviews and meetings. But if I can't figure it out and  one of you introverts out there finds the solution, be sure to let me know, preferably in the next 6-8 weeks.


Comments

  1. LisaOctober 16, 2023 at 9:26 AM

    This post is awesome. Your tone is perfectly conversational throughout and displays your personality nicely. You used multiple perspectives, describing how you used to think you should always be more extroverted but you're discovering there's a balance. You also added many relatable details, whether someone is introverted or extroverted. Even if someone isn't introverted, talking to college coaches or going to an interview could be intimidating and hard to find the words for, and you captured the feeling perfectly. The introduction is never referenced in the rest of the essay, though. If you tie the adrenaline-rushing activities back into the essay or mention them in the conclusion, I think it would flow nicely because it provides a good jumping off point. Overall, great job!

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  2. Fallon McFarlandOctober 19, 2023 at 7:06 AM

    Your post is very relatable :) You do a good job of narrating specific instances and reflecting in multiple perspectives. I think your conclusion comes off as too certain: you sort of waver in the rest of the essay between having issues as an introvert and accepting it, but then decide its a problem to be fixed, in your last paragraph. It might work to keep that idea of balance or wavering, or bring in the idea of perchance leaving your social comfort zone, to tie in the other avenues you explored.

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  3. Luca ZepedaOctober 19, 2023 at 7:01 PM

    I really like the tone you use throughout the essay. It's conversational and I see the vulnerability very well. Even though I think of myself as extroverted, I still felt myself relating to some of the points you were making. I liked the narration you used to describe your interactions with college coaches. I've had my fair share of awkward college coach talks and I can totally see where you're coming from. Not only was the tone and writing style of your essay great, you also convey a powerful message that many can relate to. Your paragraphs seem slightly uniform and while they are all good, breaking them up might add to the tone and message in your writing. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Grace ToOctober 19, 2023 at 7:19 PM

    I really like your essay topic and I can definitely relate it! I like the first half of your essay because you explore different perspectives of you not wanting to step out of your social comfort zone. I think the ending, especially the last sentence, is a little sudden and doesn't quite fit in to the rest of your essay. I think you could try leading up to your concluding sentence a little more by building on previous ideas that you mention throughout the essay.

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  5. Matthew UlozasOctober 20, 2023 at 7:42 AM

    The beginning and ending of your essay is really strong. I love how you use a very casual and funny tone throughout. Your reflection mainly focuses on your college visit narration, but I think that there is potential for really strong reflection during the "I tried participating more" paragraph. Most of your paragraphs start with "I __" which isn't very interesting.

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