Do you personally relate to Jess from New Girl, Hanna from Girls or Mindy from the Mindy Project a little too well? If this is the case you might be your friend group’s resident quirky one. You may already be aware of this but if you’re not sure some symptoms of being the quirky friend are; high interest in unorthodox hobbies like, say, knitting or aliens. Your peers may not always understand your interests or humor. And you may often find yourself in awkward situations that you haphazardly created. But no need to worry, there is a cure. It’s called you need to be proud to be the unconventional one of the group. Without you, the world wouldn’t be the same.
1. You teach your friends new things that they never knew they wanted to know.
Whether you give them the gift of your extensive knowledge on horses or you throw out strange fun facts about your childhood, you’re a special little vault of knowledge that your friend group treasures…whether they let you know out loud or not. You may purely be serving entertainment purposes or you may seriously come in handy when someone needs a quick education on serial killers of the 20th century but whatever the reason your friends love your misunderstood interests and eagerness to share them.
2. You’re real.
You may not always be a smooth operator and sometimes things come out of your mouth that you don’t mean but that’s not something to be ashamed of. Every friend group needs the member who will say it like it is. No bull sh** from you. Some may call you weird and awkward but in the end those people don’t truly understand or care about you. Your true friends realize that despite your sometimes awkward behavior your heart is in the right place and they will never have to worry about you putting on an act or being fake.
3. You are unique to not only your group but also your community
In recent years, there has been more attention given to the struggle of trying to break out of the conformist mold young adults were finding themselves stuck in. You were probably way ahead of that game. You were nerdy before it was chic. You were awkward before it became “OK.” Yes, being quirky does have its downsides in society, and not everyone will understand you. People have become more aware of breaking out of the norm and being your own person who’s interested in your own unique things. You may be the “weird” one of your friend group but that just makes you a unique and interesting individual. This will give you an advantage in things like jobs, dating, and much more. Don’t let people tell you not to be weird. Let your freak flag fly, it’s healthy.
4. You know you have a solid friend group because they stick with you and your craziness.
If your friends don’t support your intense interest in ghost hunting or they think you need to be less awkward in public they are not good friends. A good group of friends knows that they need at least one quirky friend in their life. If your friends make you feel bad for being yourself drop them. If your friends have stuck with you and your acknowledged, unorthodox ways then they are gems. It’s important to have people who truly appreciate you and you may be the type of person that is under-appreciated because you’re a little misunderstood sometimes. If your friends let you be you and enjoy all of your quirks and perks along the way then you know you’ve got some solid people on your side.
5. Let’s face it, you make everyone’s lives a lot more interesting.
Between your extensive trivia on insects, your awkward but endearing escapades, and the hand-knitted sweaters you gave all of your friends you are an asset to their lives. Let’s be honest, they’re lucky to have you.