When Texting Becoming an Enemy

Texting has always been a no-no for me. It's stressful sitting down and typing hundreds of words. I love interacting with people online, but typing anything is an enemy for me. Remembering I have so much to say and then needing to type it all is energy-draining for me, which is one reason I prefer calling to texting. Just to balance my social life, I found a way that is helpful and easy for my typing.

Okay, so this is how I go about my texting. I try as much as possible to keep my typing short. Instead of using the full word, I go for the abbreviated form. Again, instead of using a long expression like "Thank you very much," I prefer using "10Q." "Nice" is "9z." Anything that I can use to express myself that works saves me from the stress of typing too much. I don't mind someone sending me a text; I can take my time and read till the end. But when it comes to texting back, that's where I have difficulties.

Also, another thing I do is use emojis—anything that can be a shortcut and still work for me. I don't really call that laziness, as long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to do, which is being engaged and staying active. For instance, instead of using a long expression like "I'm laughing my ass off," I can just use the short form "LMOL" or 🤣🤣🤣. These shortcuts save me from doing too much work.

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Voice assistant is another approach I use that saves me from too much stress. I just say what I want while the voice assistant switches it to text. I met a guy last week who makes me wonder if he is a typist. This guy types so fast, and he expects me to return the same energy in my responses. Whenever I give a short response to a long message, he finds it annoying. Sometimes, I just personally try to dedicate some time to replying to chats, just to make my friends feel that bond. But this can be on Sundays when I'm free and have less stress.

Answering the question of whether that affects my communication with others, I would say yes, but only sometimes. Those who know me well understand—they do more calling than sending tons of messages because I lack the energy to text often, but I can talk for hours. So those who like texting have no choice but to exercise patience until the day I have the energy for replies.

On the other hand, this lifestyle has a negative effect on my social life, especially with new friends I make. When they expect to have good communication with me but end up seeing short responses, they think I'm acting superior. But when they see me or call, they understand it's just me feeling lazy when it comes to texting. Personally, I still prefer interpersonal communication to texting. It's easier to understand someone's expression from their voice than from text alone.

So, when I feel like texting, I use the strategy that works for me. When it comes to being formal, I prefer using voice notes or calls instead of shortcuts and abbreviations.