People have often call me an “old soul,” which is slightly ironic since I look pretty darn young for my age. In truth though, they do have a point. I really don’t act like most millenials. Whereas the majority of them are out partying and socializing, you’re more likely to find me reading a book, watching Netflix, or listening to NPR (in order to keep up with what’s going on around the world of course).
After some self-evaluation, it was easy to recognize what makes me an old soul. But what about you? How can you figure out if we share that same trait? Read on!
1. You are often described as being “boring”
Okay, so maybe people won’t come out and say you are boring to your face. But you get the feeling that your friends and acquaintances might think of you that way. It’s not like you can help it though; it’s not your fault that you’d rather stay indoors and relax than go bar hopping! Chances are that they’re going to wake up with more regrets than you the next day anyway, so why even bother?
2. You aren’t understood by your peers
If you are an old soul, then your mind works differently compared to most of the people in your age group. So much so that it can be hard to try and understand them. Of course, the reverse is true as well, meaning it’s likely they don’t understand you either.
Often, this leads to some awkward conversations. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a situation where someone’s like “hey bro we’re going to go to a concert tonight, wanna join,” and I’m just like “uh, yeah, I’d rather just sit in front of a computer screen and play a video game. Thanks though.” That’s usually around the time when they start backing away slowly.
3. You get better grades
Having a near-zero desire to go out and party in high school and college means that you have much more free time to sleep and study. I can’t tell you how many times I was able to beat the grading curve in college due to the fact that 90% of the rest of my class was hungover or dead tired. Thanks guys!
4. You are probably single
The way we old souls act and think can make it difficult for someone our own age to understand us — let alone want to date us. There are of course exceptions, but by and large, you’ll probably find it harder to acquire a girlfriend or boyfriend. The great news is that we probably won’t be single when we’re older, since practically everyone starts to develop “old-soul” traits eventually (I mean, that makes sense right). But early on, it can be tough. In the meantime, you can always pretend to be dating a character from your favorite TV show (which one of my good friends continues to do — I swear it’s only half as creepy as it sounds).
5. You have wisdom and knowledge beyond your years
You can carry a conversation with your grandfather and other elders like it’s nothing. Indeed, your maturity sometimes gives you a kind of presence in the room that usually only comes with age and experience. If you are more enamored by the idea of acquiring wisdom and knowledge than you are about studying up on the Kardashians or England’s royal family, then you’re definitely on the right track.
6. You have no qualms about being alone
While most people your age need to be around their peers and/or all sorts of forms of social medias, you are perfectly content with giving yourself a little bit of self-imposed solitary confinement. In truth, the majority of old souls are rather introverted (judging by how most millennials act, less interaction with the rest of our generation is probably a good thing).
7. You give everything a lot of thought
Old souls tend to be a bit less impulsive than others our age. If you’ve ever thought about the pros and cons of one item versus another for hours on end, then yeah, you’re probably an old soul.
In other words, you’re the person who will check out restaurant reviews on Yelp when all of your other friends are so starving that they’d be willing to eat just about anywhere. And while they might be mad about your restaurant-related waffling initially, they’ll certainly be thanking you once their food finally arrives. (See, we do have our uses!)
8. You are mystified by the rituals of your peers
I was always confused by the very concept of the traditional “college party.” Everybody gets drunk on cheap alcohol, and by the end of the night, nearly everyone has made some kind of questionable decision. Is that supposed to be fun? Am I crazy to think that it’s not? The few times I went to these things, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was taking part in something supremely ridiculous. (Which, now that I look back, is probably why I wasn’t invited to very many parties!)
9. You aren’t into Facebook
Sure, you might have an account, and you may check it once in a while, but you don’t really care about how many friends you have or about updating your status. Same goes for other popular social medias, like Instagram and Twitter. It’s not that you necessarily consider them to be a waste of time, it’s just that for you, they’re dreadfully boring to work with.
10. You need frequent naps
Because old souls think like old people, they sometimes feel like them too. It’s a strange phenomenon, but as an old soul you often find yourself on your bed, catching a ten minute nap here, a twenty minute nap there. Is it because we, in our great wisdom, better understand the needs of our bodies? Or, perhaps being an old soul is a side effect of sleep deprivation? I’ll have to ask my scientist friends.
Due to both our frequent naps and relatively aloof, stoic nature, we often get accused of being “detached from reality.” I can assure you that this isn’t the case. We just happen to live in something of an alternate reality.
For the old soul, it isn’t about following the crowd. It’s about blazing our own trail and finding out what’s best for us — something the rest of our generation won’t figure out for at least another decade or two.
So, now that you’ve read the signs, are you convinced that you are an old soul? Why or why not? Comment below!
Featured photo credit: introvert/Send me adrift. via flic.kr
