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Old Nov 20, 2012, 02:47 AM
OneInBillions's Avatar
OneInBillions OneInBillions is offline
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Member Since: Oct 2012
Location: Utah, USA
Posts: 251
I hope nobody minds if I pitch in... Even though my answers are probably identical to those already mentioned.

- Crowds. Of any kind. Be it a party, a family gathering, a standup at my work, shopping in a department store or even events like movies or sports games. I once had a bad panic attack when I had to ride a rush-hour train in Tokyo.

- Speaking to women. Especially those I find attractive. When I'm attracted to someone my mind just completely shuts down and I have trouble forming coherent sentences. I'm so afraid that they'll recognize my attraction to them and hate me for it; they always have.

- Speaking with people in authority positions. It's difficult for me to talk to my boss; I freak out whenever I have eye contact with the CEO of the company I work for. Last week I was alone in an elevator with him and I nearly collapsed when he talked to me.

- Presentations. I seriously cannot present things in meetings of more than a few people anymore.

- Meeting new people. I can't stand introducing myself because I have this sense that I'm really not worth knowing, and I don't want to "taint" a person's life because they associate with me. I'm so worried about that first impression, and fear that they'll hate me from the get-go because I'm terrible at talking to people.

- Casual greetings. I hate it when people I hardly even know ask me "How's it going?" or the like. I get so nervous because part of me doesn't want to lie to them, but the other part of me knows I have to conform to the social norms and say "okay" or "fine" because it's expected.

- Shopping. Normally grocery shopping is okay, but things like xmas shopping or especially going to the music store for a CD cause me to panic. I'm worried about what other people around me will think when I pick out a certain item, like they'll judge me on the spot for what I buy.

- Nights in locations away from light pollution. I have this thing about insignificance, and nothing reminds me of it more than looking at a black sky full of stars. I'm one person among billions of people, all living on this rock orbiting a single star... so when I can see the thousands of other stars out there, it really brings things into perspective, in a bad way.
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Diagnosis: Social Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, possible Autism Spectrum Disorder