Lately, I find myself playing the role of "Adviceweasel" to certain people in my IRC groups. I know, it hardly seems like I'd be the best person to be doling out advice, least of all for things like making friends (friends? What friends?) or getting into relationships (*cough*). I mean, when I really only have one friend with numerous acquaintances through him, and have never been in a proper relationship, I'd imagine that any advice I'd give on subjects like that is highly suspect.
The thing is, I am seriously beginning to wonder about my own situation. I'm basically a recluse, since I don't have work, school, or anything resembling a regular schedule to keep me interested in leaving the house. I've been doing my own shopping lately, since the store isn't that far of a walk from home, but when I do, I find myself always using the self-checkout lanes and ignoring everybody, trying to speed things along so as to minimize the chances that I might end up in some kind of conflict. I rarely strike up conversation with anybody, because from my point of view, why bother? My tastes and interests are so non-standard that I seriously doubt I'd find anybody that's interested.
And yet, I feel almost completely the opposite when I give advice to anonymous strangers on the internet. If someone's being too demanding, I tell them in the most tactful way possible that they could phrase their wants a bit more politely. If they're complaining of difficulties speaking to certain people, I help them figure out what they've done wrong and how they could approach it differently.
So why can't I give myself my own advice?
1 comment:
Have you thought about going to school for some sort of mental-health discipline? It's surprisingly common for psychiatrists and -ologists to fail at using their own advice. (At least in my limited experience with them.) But if you actually enjoy helping others, it may be something to look into. Some simple classes like 100-level college classes at PCC may make all the difference. Then again, it may also be culture shock. (But that's why you go to PCC, and pay for the first one yourself. It's only 78 a credit, so save up for a bit or borrow some from a friend, that way you're not on the govt.s shitlist with repaying loans for school that you didn't end up attending.)
Anyway... Was just a thought.
-Malachai
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