Comic Shows the Difference Between a 'Normal' Person and an 'Anxious Gifter'

There’s no joy like the joy of giving, right? Sure, but when you live with anxiety, the joy of giving can come with the joy of overthinking.

Will they like the gift? What will they think of me? What if they hate it? What if I’m totally off? What if they give me a gift that’s better than this gift and it totally affects the balance of our friendship? 

If this is you, Marzi relates.

Marzi is a comic artist known for her series “Introvert Doodles,” but she also tackles topics like anxiety, self-harm and diversity. This week, she shared a holiday-themed comic about what it’s like to be anxious about giving gifts, or what she calls being an “anxious gifter.” Marzi told The Mighty this comic was inspired by her own anxious thought process as she was making gifts for friends.

Tis the season ???? #anxiety pic.twitter.com/JF031Nx8IW

— Marzi (@IntrovertDoodle) December 15, 2017

The comic shows what a “normal” person thinks when picking out of a gift (“Oh, this reminds me of Marzi, I think I’ll get it for her.”) versus how someone with anxiety sometimes thinks when picking out a gift. (Should I give them a gift? Is it presumptuous to assume that our friendship has reached the level of gift-giving status?…”)

Her followers shared how much they could relate.

OMG, this is SO me!!! & also why I’m at “deer caught in the headlights” stage of shopping.

— Dahlila (@dahlila) December 15, 2017

|| ↑↑ THIS IS ME EVERY CHRISTMAS!!! x_x#Accurate

— Catherine Melrose (@CatieMelrose) December 15, 2017

Marzi offered the following advice to anxious gift-givers: “I think it’s helpful to acknowledge that this is the anxiety talking, and not a factual representation of how the recipient will respond. Chances are, the other person isn’t overthinking the situation like I am. They’re probably just pleased I thought of them!”

You can buy Marzi’s book, “Introvert Doodles: An Illustrated Look at Introvert Life in an Extrovert World,” on Amazon.