What I've learned from being an adult

It's still so hard to believe that in a month I'll officially be back in school. I'm really excited since I've missed school a lot this year, which I know sounds kind of lame and hypocritical, especially considering that the whole time I was in school I couldn't wait to be done and get out into the "real world." But what I've learned about the real world is that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Working 40 hours a week actually pretty much sucks. No matter what, there's just not enough time in the day to do stuff, and it's especially difficult trying to find time to hang out with friends. My social anxieties and extreme introversion only compound the problem. When you require a certain amount of alone time each day (my specific formula is for every one hour I spend with people, I need two hours to "recharge" by myself), you don't necessarily feel like hanging out when you get home from work. Typically I get home around 6:30 every day. Say I decide to go out to dinner and a movie with friends, and I end up getting back to my apartment around 10:00. I've just spent three and a half hours hanging out. Using my formula, that means I require SEVEN hours of being alone in order to recharge-- and no, sleeping doesn't count. So if I want to maintain my sanity, I'd have to go to bed at 5:00 in the morning!! It's true, sometimes I can cut back on my alone time and be OK. But then I run the risk of hibernation, in which I am forced to hole myself up for days, sometimes even weeks (though unfortunately this is often not possible), without hanging out with anyone. And then, and only then, can I successfully re-enter the realm of humanity without having completely snapped. And to all my friends, thanks for putting up with me and all of my neuroticism-- I don't know why you guys put up with me, but I'm definitely grateful that you do.