Fishing, Cleaning and Sunbathing

This month has been glorious weather in England up north. Usually we get more rain and cold in August. It has been overcast but warm: perfect for me. No need for suntan lotion or a hat, or worrying about wearing black.

I have been taking this opportunity to go fishing. Below is a photo of a relative taken the other day:

Unfortunately this time it wasn't to be. I have had a bit of success this summer but all pretty small fishes in the nearby rivers and lakes. Nothing compared to the best I photographed below on my last holiday abroad:

This would be my dream catch

There have been a couple of sunny days which I have used for a spot of sunbathing. We even broke out the BBQ and crochet set one afternoon. I tend to get eye bags and a tan is the ideal way to get rid of them.

I am not very good at sunbathing - it is just so boring. So after 10 minutes or so I need to do something. After the usual chores like trimming the shrubs back and mowing the lawn, I decided to clean the paving on the patio and side path.

What a boring job, but certainly less boring than just sunbathing. The problem is that you tend to slouch over when jet washing paving, which meant it did nothing for my tan. Anyway I whizzed through it and then applied a paving sealer in the hope that will stop me needing to clean it again anytime soon. Apparently it should help keep the paving clean for many years. Lets see.

The sky is threatening rain today so it is touch and go. If it brightens up a bit I shall cycle to the shops. We have an old bike with a rock hard seat. I found a seat cover for less than £3 on eBay (including postage) which has made an amazing difference. So I am eager to use it when I can. I do not do rain though, so I have to be sure hehehe.

Anyways that's my little update, signing off for now. Hope everyone is also having a good summer.

2 Jobs for Introverts and those with Social Anxiety

I have always been one of those people who finds it hard to socialize. I recently learned from a great TED talk that introverts have energy taken from them when socialising and extroverts gain energy from being with people.

Therefore it makes sense for introverts and people who have the more serious but rarer social anxiety (fear of people), to avoid jobs where you have to interact often and do team work. For me teamwork is just the biggest turn off. In sales jobs team work building is a big thing. Great for extroverts but for me a nightmare.

So lets start with what I do:

Working Online

There are a hundred plus things that you can do online. It means less contact with the real world and if you get into a situation like I am in, I almost never have to communicate with people other than by email.

This may sound like heaven but think about it, we are supposed to be social creatures. Therefore unless you are very happy being alone and have a supportive other half, be careful. You don’t want to be one of those overweight bachelors or spinsters who never leave their home and just order take out food all the time.

Working online is great but if you are single especially, make sure you get some human contact. This is easier said than done but I believe if you hide away and work online without a partner and ideally friends to socialise with, you will end up lonely and unhappy.

Teaching

As a member of various organisations for introverts and those with social phobia, I find it baffling how many people are teachers. My Mum has some similarities with nervousness around others but she has been a happy teacher for many years. She started in primary schools, moved on to secondary school (apparently that was more stressful- sounds like my worst nightmare). Now she teaches smaller groups at an English language school in Manchester teaching IELTS courses.

Anyway this is not something I could ever do, despite numerous attempts from my Mum to get me to to it. However it seems to be a case of facing your fear, which I believe is a great way to overcome problems. I just couldn’t stand in front of a class of 20-30 kids.

Teaching can be done in many ways. My Mum taught from toddlers up to those getting ready for college. She also taught those with issue like dyslexia for a while and now simply teaches English. You can teach a subject you are interested in. You can teach around the world. It is seems to be a very flexible job when you consider the many options. So if you can see yourself doing it, certainly have a think. My Mum said her most rewarding moments were at the end of the school year when young children would do sweet things like say “thanks you are the best teacher” with a gift.