Finding my way as an ‘old soul’

Ever since I was young, I have never felt that I fit in with my age group.
No matter how similar my personality or interests were to another kid’s, I would always feel like there was this invisible barrier separating my world from theirs. I could never find the right words to describe what I was until fifth grade when my teacher introduced me to old souls.
In my own words, an old soul is someone who feels like they don’t belong in their current generation. They are deep thinkers and are very intuitive.
Oftentimes, I would find myself in the midst of a conversation about gossip or social trends. To me, these conversations are exhausting and unfulfilling, so I can never stay with this group long.
I refrain from talking about things that I’m passionate about, for example psychology, because I do not wish to bore or confuse the people. Because of this, I often prefer to enjoy my own company rather than joining in on others’ conversations.
I avoid attending large social gatherings, such as parties or sporting events, because of my introverted nature and because I’m simply not interested in them. These gatherings are also places where students usually try to become more popular amongst their peers which is another reason why I don’t attend them.
Popularity used to be number one on my priority list back in sixth grade, but once I realized the things “cool” kids did weren’t cool at all to me, I immediately stopped caring about it.
Because I don’t relate to the large majority of students, I’m dubbed as an “outcast.” I don’t consider this title an insult because, to me, an outcast is someone who is unafraid to be themselves despite how others may judge them.
I empathize a lot more with other outcasts and find our conversations much more fun and exciting. Being an old soul means that I’m different from the rest, but this is who I am and I won’t ever stop being proud of it.