to be confident is to be succinct
this was going to be more succinct but i made it a list again.
1. twitter's character limit
twitter is a difficult platform for me because i don't have the confidence to say what i want to say in less than 280 words. i always want to overexplain and justify and say more and more, but don't like taking up space on the TL with a long thread either. don't notice me.
2. overexplaining yourself in apology
i've become more conscious of other people around me who overexplain themselves too. i often encounter people apologizing or saying more than they need, assuming they'll be misunderstood or hated, etc. i always respond calmly with a short sentence: it's okay, don't worry, you're fine, and such. but when i'm in the doghouse, i'll find myself overexplaining in a similar way just to get that same simple reaction from another, haha.
3. overexplaining yourself in information
i tend to overexplain myself when i'm writing guidelines and info. i worry that if i don't say enough, i'll come off as untrustworthy. but usually i double-check with a partner to make sure i'm not overspeaking, because i know that often, saying more than necessary just leads to additional confusion— even though the whole point of saying so much is to cover all my bases!
of course, if you don't explain so much, someone's gonna question you anyway. that's not a bad thing. if you're concerned about something (even if it's something i do), i encourage you to question it.
it's a situation i can't speak on publicly, but i was embarrassed by my own tendency to say so much and overexplain myself. still, my inquisitive, overthinking personality that questioned it was what helped stop it from progressing so badly (i like to believe). so even though this behavior might feel embarrassing, it's not negative.
4. short replies aren't bad
i spent a while thinking this person hated me because their replies would be so short and simple. but they would also message me first and take steps to reach out to me even though i didn't think we were close enough to be considered friends. their actions proved they still liked me, somehow. i just didn't have the confidence to accept their words as well.
i'm from a corner of the internet where people will praise through keysmashes and capslock in every message, so i guess it's a cultural difference. still, it's important to remember that when your normal classmate says "cool!" and nothing else to your picture in the groupchat, they do mean it. otherwise they wouldn't reply.
5. my work as a writer
i have the ideal job for bitches who aren't succinct. in fact, it's all about dragging shit out to be as long as possible while remaining coherent, which i suppose is a skill in itself... anyway, i have to go back to work now. fml.