Getting Over It
Saturday, August 16 2025
I generally regard myself as level-headed and more logical than emotional. In truth, I must confront that’s not entirely true. In matters I’m heavily invested in or times I’m overwhelmed, I’m not un-quick to burst into tears. The waterworks can follow my plans or expectations being changed or challenged, being given a task which seems long and arduous, or the discomfort from not feeling liked. I don’t deal super well with embarrassment or guilt, and the result is plain uncool.
In my endless plight, I like to expect sympathy from adults. Sometimes it’s there, other times it’s a little awkward. Crying and finding someone else’s indifference is among the most humiliating and life-ending phenomena documented by scientists. As I get older, I expect the latter will become more and more common. I have this memory from the weeks preceding my junior year finals; to prepare us for the test my teacher assigned five or six pages of review notes, mandatory and graded. The workload seemed intense at the time, and I remember crying on my way to art class. I parked outside the classroom and sobbed a little bit. My art teacher from a previous year spotted me, and stopped to ask what had happened– when I explained this large assignment which was due in.. two weeks… he stopped seeming concerned.
“Oh.” he said, “That’s a long time.”
The embarrassment was sobering. Yeah, it was a long time. That occasion stuck with me and bubbles up to my consciousness whenever my tears are met with disregard.
Unfortunately, such self-awareness does not always stop the tears; they just come out! I can be aware it’s stupid, but as long as I feel bad, it’ll still happen. Hard to navigate, really.
I need to get over it. “Get over it” has been an especially powerful phrase in my life lately; it’s nothing I’ve personally been told, but there's a big air of “get over it” right now. Being raised in progressive spaces online, I think I’ve developed that softie “woke” mentality of accommodating for everyone and everything. Not that a more accommodating mindset isn’t important; being a friend means making room for those who need it. Making accommodations and placing safety rails is typically NOT VERY HARD. I’m not saying we all need to rawdog life. However, I do think this softie mentality has led me to expect the privilege of comfort, always. I consistently become distraught over uncomfortable situations, and that’s not going to aid me in life. I need to let people dislike me, be angry at me, and I need to be quick in adapting to uncomfortable situations. That skillset is going to be a pillar of maturity, I’d like to start developing it now.
I just wanted to put some of my recent thoughts into words, even if it’s a little embarrassing. I wonder if anyone else relates! A lot of developing maturity is experience, so all I can do is wait.
Reach out! You can let me know if you relate, or help me develop a tougher skin by telling me something you don’t like about me or my blogpost, especially if we’re friends. I won’t get mad at you. Thanks!
If you'd like to respond, email me at loldogworld@gmail.com