It’s hard talking about things, especially being introverted like I am. It’s hard making friends and when I finally do make that friend it always feels like they’re just out of reach, no matter how hard I try it always doesn’t seem like enough. So I stay huddled in my little dark closet hiding and collecting scattered pieces to complete my thousand-piece puzzle.

While trying to fill my puzzle I have found many things that are able to fill in large portions of the puzzle. Those large puzzle pieces are the things that I enjoy like playing games, hanging out with friends, listening to music, talking with family, playing board games, and reading my favorite manhwas. All these things bring joy to my life and help me out of sticky situations or problems I need to avoid. The pieces always find a way to fill in the puzzle slowly but surely and make up a large fraction of the puzzle. But I found it very difficult to write only about one thing that can help me get through my daily problems as they all help me in various different ways.

Some activities that have really helped me relieve stress and help me release my anger are playing single player RPGs and playing golf. These activities provide a space for me to be alone and only worry about myself without having to really acknowledge the things around me. They’re like personalized stress balls just for me, and I don’t have to worry about other people trying to take them from me.

Listening to music has always been there for me, it’s like having an imaginary friend with you no matter where you are. If I start finding someone incredibly annoying or I just want to be alone I put my air-pods in and just listen to my favorite artists allowing me to focus on me, and the anxiety and frustration just floats away.

Talking to friends is also a huge help, just being able to vent about anything and everything without having to face being judged. My friends help me everyday, whenever I have trouble at home I can always look forward to seeing them and my day always seems to get brighter and brighter whenever I’m with them. Friends are like pieces of candy, you always enjoy them no matter how many times you eat them or have them, and when you find a new piece it never tastes the same as the other. And as you find more candy the more things you can look forward to because no matter where you go the candy is always there.