I went to college at a school that had the most low-maintenance people. Like very low-maintenance. Like showing up to class required nothing more than a pair of sweats and a headband for most, and weekend going out attire consisted of flannels and maybe one coat of mascara. Sure, I could roll with the low-key vibes and pretend I didn’t miss spending a full hour playing with makeup on a Friday night, but I did. So, please enjoy the confessions of a high-maintenance person coming from yours truly.

Going anywhere takes forever. Picking out something to wear could easily take me all night. It has to fit the exact style that I’m going for on a given day, and it has to be flattering. I can’t have worn it within the past two weeks, because then everyone would notice. Even just wearing a dress to work two days in a row gives me pause. What will people think?

Next comes makeup, which is definitely more of a thing when I’m going out at night. I’ll apply and remove and apply and remove. The brows have to be in place and the eye makeup exactly the same on each side, or we’ll be back at square one.

This, in turn, causes me to be in a panicked rush whenever I go anywhere. I’m not one to be late, but no matter how much extra time I give myself to get ready, I’ll make it to my destination at the exact minute I had planned to – never a minute early.

I also have high expectations from other people. I’ve been told too high, but is that really so wrong? When I make plans with someone, they better not be more than 10 minutes late, or they will not be greeting a cheery me upon arrival. I also expect a lot from servers. If you aren’t attentive, I will get impatient and ask what’s wrong. If you forget my order, fine, but apologize and take responsibility! This attitude tends to lead me to be disappointed in those around me.

Buying literally anything is a hassle. I usually know exactly what I want, but I always run into one of a few problems: what I want is ridiculously overpriced, or it’s at the right price point but poor quality, or the exact item I want is only on one obscure website that ships from Asia and will take four months to get to me.

It can also sometimes be difficult to play well with others. I can only act like I’m ok with someone’s overly-lax ways for so long, and people don’t always love those of us that lean towards the high maintenance end. If something isn’t quite right, of course I’ll sometimes speak up! But to some all that means is that I’m ungrateful and kindofabitch.

So, to my fellow high maintenance friends, know that you are not alone. Instead of trying to settle by lowering your standards, embrace those high expectations! People might roll their eyes, but they’ll also have respect for your standards.