Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:
“I don't have too many friends.”
(Continued)
Hey Terra,
Maybe I do need to encourage myself a little more. I know that everybody is a somebody, but when I say "nobody" I think what I mean is: not very social or quiet or something... but sometimes I feel invisible. I don't want to be popular anymore, now that I've learned about how popular kids' friends talk about them behind their back. I know my own friends don't do that to me. But sometimes I think they underestimate me.And to be a somebody, I would say I'd need to be a little more outgoing. I was like, 100% shy when I was little, but when I grew up, I became less and less quiet and shy. I think of a somebody as a person who always loves to have a conversation and who talks the most in a conversation. I, however, barely talk at all most of the time.
And about the e-mail I sent my friend... I was kinda being mean -- almost. I was saying, "I'M NOBODY'S FRIEND!!!" with bold letters and everything. I don't have the courage to tell that to my friend when she is right in front of me. I really do have a shyness problem.
Shy
Dear Shy,
You say that your friends "underestimate" you. Sounds like you underestimate yourself! If you'd like to be a person who speaks up more, then that's something you can work on. When there's a great conversation going on around you and you've got ideas to contribute, what holds you back?
In friendship,
Terra
Need some advice? Write to Terra.
She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.
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