/lit/ - Literature

the main thing on my mind is: how do i respond to a girl sending me selfies

she's done it three times now. i just respond to the caption on the selfie and try to start a conversation that way. the conversations we have IRL are fun, but the social media ones are really shit. should i compliment her pic? should i send a selfie too? how long should i wait before responding?

worrying about this shit feels about the same as existential death anxiety desu. i got out of a depressed social isolation rut and i guess im happier now but it's hard to tell sometimes. like, i was infatuated with an aussie girl for about a month and the stress/anxiety for interactions with her wasnt far below when i had a breakdown alone in my room a few years ago. when i hear a phone buzz i still tend to assume that it's someone else's.

feels like i will always be stressed and anxious regardless of the state of my life. lifewise im probably doing better than most of the people in this thread, in that i have friends, engaging well-paid career prospects, and rewarding hobbies, but inside i feel similar to when i had no friends, was severly underweight, and spent most of my time playing videogames and watching anime. it's like i have most of the same thought processes as before but they've all shifted into this new socialised setting - 'socially adjusted' has more meaning than i thought it did. people like my personality and think im funny/interesting but i still get stuck in old overthinking cycles that keep me up for hours, making me not want to socialise, making me want to regress. im certain it's vestigal of the selective mutism i had as a child, but i dont know what to do about it other than drink a lot. another worry is convincing people im not an alcoholic.

i wrote this stanza and like it a lot:
the air whirls - absorb it
my dress sequined with stars
as i twirl, they orbit
emit, and hide my scars

>>10490451
but i gave u the most valuable critique of all. look at all the posts above you that have no responses. how are these threads gonna sustain themselves if all anyone does is post their own shit? ive done two crits in this thread and no one has critiqued mine.

>>10490457
i think layman's crit still has some level of helpfulness in it, though only in broader strokes like 'this story isnt interesting', 'that character name is stupid', etc.