The Introvert's Guide to Indianapolis

The Origin Story

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In the last year my social anxiety has really gotten the better of me.

I like being alone, I like quiet, but left to my own devices, I will spend so much time alone that the idea of having to interact with other people becomes almost impossible. I have all these restaurants I want to try, coffee shops I want to sit and work in, new bookstores to check out, but I get so anxious about the unknowns that I just don't.

A few months ago I got a puppy, and along with the obvious improvements a puppy provides to one's mental health, he got me out of the house. Puppies should meet 300 people within their first four months of live, or something like that. It is incredibly necessary to socialize them as much as possible as early as possible, and while meeting 3 people is far too much for me on my own, for my puppy's well being? I don't think twice. Between the park walks and the fact that every person on the planet stops to meet him because he's the cutest dog alive, my dog has forced me out of my comfort zone and rebuilt my social stamina. Now that I have a little more capacity to exist and be perceived, I am attempting to try new things, go new places. Feeling trapped within yourself is exhausting and annoying.