> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theshyreveal.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # I’m Addicted to Being a ‘Good Person’ - URL: https://www.theshyreveal.com/im-addicted-to-being-a-good-person/ - Published: 2026-09-13T05:43:23.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-26T05:32:32.000Z - Author: Paperbag ## Social life is an exam, and I want the highest grade. But I can’t. Here’s the reason why: --- **I am painfully shy.** Even explaining that *I’m shy* to people makes me shy. Like I’ve done something wrong. Like I’m **feeling** something wrong, something I cannot control. But what is it, really? Does it mean I’m afraid of people? I don’t think so. I can say “Hello” to my colleagues. I can manage a bit of small talk. I can order food at the restaurant without too much trouble. It’s deeper than that. While other people seem to exchange words fluently, effortlessly, I cannot seem to follow up. When they make jokes, my “too-serious” persona struggles to match their energy. So I smile awkwardly, and they end up believing I have no sense of humor. > Shy people unsettle others > because they unsettle the tacit conventions of social life. > *— Joe Moran (*[*Shrinking Violets: The Secret Life of Shyness*](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25772991-shrinking-violets?ref=theshyreveal.com)*)* If you care about people, you want to do the opposite. You want them to feel comfortable. But you’re faced with a moral struggle that no one seems to pick on: > ***If they know I’m shy, they’re going to feel awkward around me,*** > ***and I don’t want to bother them.*** Which leads to the devastating conclusion: > ***It’s bad that I’m not like the others.*** > ***It’s bad that I’m awkward.*** > > ***I should fix myself.*** --- ## 1 So what do you do? The obvious solution is to see a doctor. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_02.png) You think: > ***Honestly? Pretty bad.*** > > ***I don’t know why, it’s the way I’m wired.*** > ***Been that way since I was a child.*** The doctor frowns as he writes on a piece of paper. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_03.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_04.png) “I’ve increased your dose of sugar”, he says. “Nine candies per hour should be enough. You’ll have the courage to talk more. You’ll relax more. People will like you more.” --- ### Choose The Best Option (A or B): **A.** Throw the prescription away. **B.** Go to the supermarket and fill your cart with the entire candy section. Because that’s what you’re supposed to do. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_05.png) --- ## 2 Now it’s time to go partying. Sandra has invited you, just like she invited everyone else. But secretly you believe that people don’t *actually* want to hang out with you, so you wonder why you even said yes in the first place. But here you are. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_06.png) Music, Laughter, Gossip… You’re trying to seem relaxed, because that’s how you should behave. You even manage to ask someone how their day went. A few minutes later, Sandra asks you: “Hey Paperbag, are you alright?” You think: > ***I’m trying, thank you.*** > > ***I’m sorry if I seem uninterested, or serious, or cold.*** > > ***It’s not that I don’t want to connect. I hope you won’t misunderstand. It’s just that I haven’t found the skill to be “myself” because I view social interaction like a test. I don’t know why; I need feedback that I’ve said or done something right. If there’s no feedback, I feel like I’ve made a mistake and I’ll want to retreat.*** > > ***It drains my energy. I know it’s stupid.*** > > ***Sorry for the dis-ease.*** Dani whispers to her friend: “He’s too shy, just like a little kid.” People start laughing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_07.png) --- ### Choose The Best Option (A or B): A. Go home. B. Move to the food table and eat a candy. At least you won’t stand around looking like an idiot. Candy will make you look more approachable. More *normal*. Everyone likes to eat candy, so you should too. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_08.png) It’s very sweet. So you smile in order to belong. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_09.png) --- ## 3 Finally, it’s time to go home. You take your shoes off. Pyjamas on. > ***I’m alone. Ahhhhhhhhhh….*** But the party incident is still in your head, as the words “too shy” come ringing left and right. > ***Gosh. I was clearly not at ease, and everyone saw it.*** > ***Even though I was trying to interact, I’m still seen as weird.*** > ***Like all of my efforts are in vain.*** > > ***The doctor’s not gonna be happy.*** > > ***It’s embarrassing.*** Oh, how you wish you could forget… ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_10.png) You have a craving to be soothed, but no one’s going to support you or your stupid fragility. Everyone thinks you’re fine. Nobody knows the pain you feel inside. Because of the freaking *dis-*ease**. --- ### Choose The Best Option (A or B): A. Go to sleep. B. Take a bag of candy. Eat one. Then two, and three, and four. Then the entire bag. Because it’s the only thing that will save you. Candy gives you comfort, sympathy, the sweetness you could never find in social life, because your subconscious is always on guard. If life is bitter, add more sugar. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_11.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_12.png) --- ## 4 You know… You could just take your mask off, and you’d be happy. It’s been a long time since you tried. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_13.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_14.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_15.png) *Where are you?* I mean, where’s the childlike, humorous, and loving version of you? The version who didn’t need candy to survive? > ***If only I could tear the mask off, I’d know.*** > ***The reason I can’t do it… is simple.*** > > **I. Am. Faceless.** > > ***The mask has become my face.*** And that’s when it hit you like a freight train: ### I’LL NEveR bE aT EaSe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_16.png) --- ### Choose The Best Option (A or B): A) Accept your mask the way it is. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_17.png) B) Or not. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_18.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_19.png) You killed your reflection, and the mirror turned black. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_20.png) And you… ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_290000000.png) …fell into the dark side. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_2900001000.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_23.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_24.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_25.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_26.png) That’s when you woke up. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_28.png) Your room was the same, yet something in the air felt different. You knew deep in your heart that you were about to begin a new chapter. --- Maybe dis-**ease** isn’t a problem to overcome. More like a condition to empathize with. A stepping stone that will guide us towards wisdom. > ***Maybe there are lies I believe about myself,*** > ***that I haven’t truly questioned.*** > > ***To feel at ease, I need to know what’s true.*** And from now on… ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Tremilie_54_Candy_IMG_29.png) > ***Nothing will ever stop me*** > ***from living the truth.*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/the_end_gif.gif) --- **Thank you for reading! ✿** You've reached the twelfth (and last) symbol: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/candy.png) **Access the other symbols:** [**SPIRAL**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/i-dream-therefore-i-am/) **//** [**KEY**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/how-to-actually-make-a-decision/) **//** [**DIAMOND**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/no-friends-you-were-meant-to-be-alone/) **//** [**HEART**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/when-youre-in-love/) **//** [**FACE**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/why-youll-never-change/) **//** [**MUSIC**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/rest-in-peace-my-future-self/) [**BIRD**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/the-anxiety-of-looking-awkward/) **//** [**CLOVER**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/i-didnt-come-here-by-coincidence/) **//** [**TEAR**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/if-you-stop-crying-well-love-you/) **//** [**CLOUD**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/you-dont-have-to-trust-yourself/) **//** [**STAR**](https://www.theshyreveal.com/how-to-become-a-superstar-writer/) // CANDY ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/41/2541acf5-75ea-41ae-8dd9-9ede43988ecc/content/images/2026/09/Symbols_Preview.png) P.S. I’m so grateful to have completed the 12 symbols. Thank you for your presence here. I look forward to meeting you soon. --- P.P.S. Every ending is a new beginning :)