Being the extreme introvert I am, I enjoy my time alone. I like to be able to do what I'm doing without interruption. Being the overly nice person I am, I'm oftentimes nice to people in passing who get the wrong message and take things too far in that they want to be with me always. Being the extremely socially anxious person I am, I don't know how to talk to these people, or just don't want to because it feels like it takes every bit of my energy away. I do what I don't want to do in order to set the boundaries: I start being more stern and uninterested in what they're saying in hopes that it drives them back to a comfortable distance and I can only hope that when I feel comfortable enough to approach them they can accept it.

One time in particular was a situation with a co-worker. He liked to talk. A lot. The two of us had a lot in common, except for the fact that I don't like to talk a lot. On top of his barely-above-a-whisper voice, he talked a lot of nonsense and always wanted validation to what he said, so it was either agree with him or debate with him, and I never felt like debating. One time I had reached the tipping point due to just having lost my headphones for my music to drown out the doldrum surrounding me and having to listen and constantly ask him to repeat himself, and when it was break time, I went back to the break room alone and he had asked why I didn't say it was break time so we could all take our break together to which I snapped at him with "I JUST GOT BACK HERE, SAME TIME AS YOU DID!"

I felt bad about it, and it finally got the message across for him to take a few steps back, but the two of us still talk once in a while.