Sunny Days, Starry Nights, and Lazy Afternoons

"is this person being annoying to you or are you just feeling annoyed?"

sometimes people do go out of their way to annoy you and that requires a different response! but a lot of the time we attribute maliciousness or ignorance to someone when we are simply feeling annoyed as a response to something that has nothing to do with us. maybe they're just enjoying something in a way we don't personally like, or maybe they're having a bad day, or maybe they have habits or personality quirks that rub us the wrong way-- and they aren't thinking about how it impacts us at all! and in many situations, they shouldn't have to! it's not a person's job to make sure they never do anything that could be perceived as annoying to anyone else.

and learning to tolerate feeling annoyed is crucial. de-escalating your own sensation of annoyance and refusing to treat it as harm/discomfort is an important step in getting along with other people and guarding your perception of your own acceptance and belonging. many people on tumblr express social anxiety-- and i gotta tell you, if you keep legitimizing your own annoyance all the time as a serious problem (instead of a small thing to vent to a friend about/get over/ignore), then you are also going to end up fearing that you are frequently annoying to other people! that which you see CONSTANTLY as a problem in other people you will increasingly worry about in yourself.

>looks inside