Thoughts and Confessions From a Quiet Soul

It can be hard being misunderstood. Especially when you’ve experienced misunderstanding almost your entire life.

You’re quiet.

It’s one of the first things many people notice about me. Sometimes they mention my quietness as though it were a flaw.

You need to open up more. Chime in!

As though it were something that needed fixed.

I’ve been a quiet soul for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I kept to myself and instead of playing with my classmates, I entertained myself at recess. The only way I played with any other kids is if a kind classmate invited me to play with them. Though the specific incidents are vague, I do remember the moments in elementary school in which I wanted to join in a game the other kids were playing but I was too shy to ask and initiate conversation.

That was the first time I remember feeling misunderstood.

As I got older, while the shyness was still there, I realized that there was something far more to my quietness than shyness alone. It was how I was wired. In a world that demands extroversion, I’ve been more of an introvert. I get my energy by spending time alone. Prolonged social interactions even if it is with good company can be draining to me. When I feel socially drained, I reset them by taking some time out for myself.

I love solitude when I can get it. I deeply value my “me time”. But that doesn’t mean I don’t crave connection and want to develop meaningful relationships with others.

Having a quiet soul can be quite frustrating when you are surrounding by others who can initiate conversation so flawlessly. It can sometimes make you wonder if there is something wrong with you.

Another frustrating thing about my quiet soul is that it can be quite deceiving. I may be quiet, but the inside of my mind is drastically different. And it is rather complex.

Just speak what's on your mind, they might say.

If only it were that simple!

There is so much I want to say that's on my mind. Thoughts that I just can't put it into words. Enough to speak what's on my mind anyway.

Maybe that's why I've fallen so much in love with writing. I can express myself better through writing better than I could any way else.

Like many quiet souls, I take a little longer to open than others. Maybe so much so that one might wonder. But when us quiet souls do open up, it is genuine. In the rarest of occasions that I find myself at my most comfortable, where I can share my thoughts and feelings with someone, that's when I know the connection is special.

This reflection got me thinking ...

Maybe my quietness isn’t something that needs fixed after all. Almost my entire life I've seen it as a weakness. But it's not that! It's not a weakness! Perhaps, it's more of a hidden superpower than a flaw that needs fixed.

Since I’m quiet, I'm more reflective. This gives me more of an opportunity to just listen and emphasize.

I believe my quietness has also helped shape my creativity in some way. It's given me more time to reflect and speculate ideas.

And I think that’s what most people want. For someone to take the time to listen.

Yes, I am quiet.

Yes, it probably would do me good to take a risk and open up more.

But my quietness is not a flaw. And if you have a quiet soul, I assure you, there is nothing wrong with you either.