"small things" social anxieties...

This is probably like a lot of already existing threads, but I wanted to start this still.

Here's mine: I get a ton of anxiety with card swipes. It is probably stupid to get worked up over these things, but I always get nervous about swiping wrong and looking like an idiot. Today, I was at the self-checkout at the grocery (self-checkouts are the best when they work properly). I swiped my card a couple times and the machine was messing up as I entered my pin #. I kept trying to get it to work, because I get terrified when I have to flag down a worker for assistance. Someone finally came over, and as I explained what was going on, I got all red and flustered. She told me I entered my pin wrong, but I know I entered the right number. Anyway, I cringed majorly after that.

So what other "small things" do you guys get super flustered about? And do you cringe over them for the rest of the day, like I do?

Same here. I really like self checkout but if it doesn't work then it's terrifying. Once I did self checkout smoothly and then suddenly I dropped a bunch of blueberries on the ground so embarrassing lol...

I can't stand taking things from people. Like, if they pass me papers or cards or something. The worst thing is drinks in cups... I can't do it-- I'm afraid it will spill. And they just keep holding it out there like 'go ahead, take it... what's wrong with you?'.

One thing I loved about being in Asia was that it's acceptable to set your money down on the counter in a little dish and slide the dish across to the person, instead of taking the change straight from their hands.

I'd rather wander around a store for an hour than ask someone where something is.

If I want to go out of my apartment and I hear people on the stairway, I sometimes wait untill I can hear they're gone, before I go out.

If the doorbell rings and I'm not expecting anyone, I usually don't answer.

And on and on it goes.

I get really nervous if someone is walking right behind me, because I will think they will watch, and see how nervously I am walking. This one goes way back to high school where kids followed me and called me Monkey man.

At the auto teller in Woolies, I have to turn to face so I can't see people in the next payment station. I am distracted by people in my line of sight when I am talking to or doing something.

I have trouble taking the numbered ticket from the hand of the people at the finishing line of local running races. Sometimes I drop it and run after it.

I have trouble exchanging money with people wearing rings.

Filling out forms or signing my name if people are watching. I remember making an absolute fool of myself at a registration table once. I was wearing sun glasses to shield my anxious eyes. I took them off and dropped them and breaking them. I made a scene.

My anxiety is all about: they'll think I am a dickhead if I look at that, and I'll be embarrassed. It's like saying don't touch the delete button on the computer, you a drawn to touching it. A kind of nightmarish self fulfilling prophecy.

There are so many triggers, so many ways of getting embarrassed. And I am really successful at pissing people off, to the point I don't enjoy talking to anyone anymore.

I use cash. Only. Simply because things can go wrong with cards, their readers, their systems, their... whatever.

The only thing that can go wrong with money is they're out of pennies. Oh, darn.

Nanita said:

If I want to go out of my apartment and I hear people on the stairway, I sometimes wait untill I can hear they're gone, before I go out.

Click to expand...

I have something similar where I like to wait until people on the street are gone, or neighbours are back inside, before I go outside. Makes it seem like they're looking at me, and I don't like some of my neighbours.

Do you get along with the people around you in your apartment building? That might make it less unnerving to go out with others outside.

When paying for something at a store checkout I always have to hand over a note of money or use my debit card.

I am too scared to count out any small change that is in my purse. I am terrified that I might drop a coin on the counter, or lose count and have to start again, or accidently count out and hand over the wrong amount. mg:

Or even just start counting the change only to find I don't have enough, so then I have to put it all back and the people in line are annoyed I am taking so long to pay.
Then that creates a huge backlog of small change that I am too embarrassed to take to the bank because the bank teller will think it is strange how I have so much small change. :shyness: