Over-sharing

Sometimes I feel compelled to give unnecessary information to random people. New acquaintances at a party, fellow passengers in an elevator, other moms in the park... I offer vehement opinions, or talk too much about my personal life, and then eventually I realize that I'm feeling compromised somehow - at which point I also realize there's nothing to be done about it... Like when I've eaten too much cookie dough.

The other night, for example, while I was waiting for my husband to meet me in a restaurant, the waitress learned that I have a 4 year old daughter, that I don't eat meat, and that when it comes to ordering I'm not good at making decisions...

Maybe I'm just being friendly...

But I'm not friendly. Ask my neighbors. I think they'd say I'm very (hopefully not offensively) private.

My over-sharing is probably an unconscious attempt to get people to like me. Or perhaps - as most of the stuff I share doesn't make me look even remotely cool - I'm trying to convince people that I'm not threatening, or that I'm just like everyone else... which is, of course, a lie. No one is 'just like everyone else', and trying to pretend you are is a sure-fire way to make yourself miserable.

When I'm not feeling present and grounded I often talk out of nervousness. Then I judge everything that comes out of my mouth, and worry about how it makes me look...

But there have been times when I've been able to step outside my ego, and really focus on the other person. Sometimes I'll notice things I would never have been aware of if I were stuck in my own head, and I'm able to interact with sensitivity when I wouldn't have otherwise. (If you've ever given a sincere compliment to someone who doesn't get them often, or if you've had the patience to be kind to someone who's behaving horribly, you may know what I'm talking about.)

But I'm starting to get that 'over-sharing' feeling again... Must be time to zip it.