As someone who's relatively shy and introverted, I know what it's like to be that one quiet kid that no one really knows. I've been thinking about how, while being shy can suck, it definitely has its upsides as well. Here are some pros and cons I've experienced.

PROS:

-You never have any enemies.

As someone who is quiet all the time, no one ever has a reason to dislike you, so people either don't know who you are or just think you're really nice.

-You know everything going on around you.

When you're quiet all the time sometimes you can't help but ease drop on other conversations and because you're so quiet no one even notices. You can learn a lot about people that way.

-Teachers always like you.

They say being a teacher's pet is a bad thing, but when the teacher likes you it opens up so many doors for what you're allowed to do. All my teachers know me as a good kid and like me, so I can get away with turning in things late sometimes or I get sent to do things for them and get out of class. It's kind of awesome sometimes.

And this also means if you ever get a rebellious streak and decide to skip class, no one will question you walking through the hallways because you're that good innocent kid.

CONS:

-People think they can walk all over you.

I've experienced this one a lot; because you're shy, people think they can walk all over you. They'll come to you to cheat off your work or in a project, they'll expect you to do all the work.

As someone who likes to be nice and helpful, I used to let that happen more often than it should've, but I'm a lot more open than I used to be so I stand up for myself more and it feels good to say no sometimes.

-When the teacher says to work in partners.

That dreaded feeling when you have no friends in a class and the teacher says work in partners. It's a painful reminder of your lack of friends in that class and when the teacher calls you out as someone without a partner and ends up pairing you with someone, it's just embarrassing sometimes.

-You can feel left out and lonely.

When everyone around you is having fun and laughing and you're just being quiet by yourself, it sometimes just feels like you're missing out on this great fun. It's hard to be shy and make friends, but don't be too afraid to take that step.

In the end, it's okay to be shy. Opening up will happen in time if you really want it to. Yes, rejection sucks, but it's worth it once you finally start making friends and being yourself. I'm extremely blessed that I have these amazing friends that helped me with my social anxiety and shyness. I hope everyone is able to have someone like that in their support and are able to overcome their fears and anxieties. :)