being bothered by having other people around you

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mickey

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I avoid going out because it bothers me to have other people nearby.

Today I went downstairs to get my mail, and someone else was getting their mail at the same time, and I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Tomorrow I have to go to the convenience store. I'm apprehensive.

Thank you for listening.
 
Does this stem from a social anxiety thing, fear of having to talk to people? Or is it just a general distaste for people in general?
 
I was going to say social anxiety, too. In that crowd at least, it's not uncommon to hear of people who are apprehensive about everything from grocery store visits to phone calls.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I don't know what it is. Ever since I went on disability in 2006, I've grown increasingly isolated and spent most of my time in my residence. I used to get stir crazy and need to go out just to get some outdoor time. But on Christmas Day I went to a restaurant for dinner and was really bothered by having people within five feet of me on all sides, and the noise in the restaurant was excruciating. I left half of my meal untouched and paid the server as quickly as I could, not even waiting for change. When I went outside and headed to the streetcar stop, I was so bothered by the presence of the few people on the street that I wasted money on a taxi home. Since then I've been out of my residence only to check the mail, do laundry once, and throw out some recycling once. But I need to get household supplies today and don't know how standing in a lineup of 10 people at the cash will affect me.
 
Oh been there are few times, that's not fun. Had moments in a line where I wanted to drop everything and leave or put stuff back. But the fear of looking weird or having people talk about me kept me from doing that, lol. At the time I lived in a small town where people would talk and I was "well known" enough that people knew who I was and where I worked. Some days I'd go home after work to change my clothes hoping people wouldn't recognize me, sometimes I'd just stay home and not go back out.

The fact that you went out on Christmas Day to a restaurant by yourself (I assume) is admirable in itself.
 
Yes, I always go out alone. I don't know anybody locally. This is a city of 3 million people and you can live okay here without ever running into the same person twice.

I guess I'll dash to the nearest convenience store and overpay for everything in order to get it over with quicker. I just hope there isn't some moron checking $300 worth of lottery tickets in line ahead of me.
 
I got the social anxiety thing and I get this a lot. But if you wind up in a situation where you are not used to being around people, and you might have low self esteem and/or be a tad depressed then people can seem a bit like human vermin.

I like to treat myself to a burger from the evil corporation 'm' every now and then. I have to navigate through great crowds, I hate it. Don't want them near me. Don't want them to see me.

Jim Morrison knows what goes on. Fetch People Are Strange up on YouTube. Though for my money Echo And The Bunnymens version is best. But the words are the same, and perhaps descriptive of what OP means?
 
Being 49 years old, I'm very familiar with the Doors version of _People Are Strange_. I listened to it while growing up. :)

Something inside me changed on Christmas Day. Since then I've been perfectly content just to stay in my residence and not go out at all. It's been about two weeks now and I still haven't gotten stir crazy even once.

Our nearest McDonalds has been renovated for expansion twice in the past two years and you still get lineups of 10 people at 2 am (it's open 24 hours). In warm weather I'll sometimes wait until about four in the morning before I go there for a snack or just some coffee, since their coffee has improved a great deal recently and has become better than Timmy's. But right now it's -18 C (-0.4 F), the coldest day of the season, and I'm not going to hike there unless I have to.
 
I got so bothered by people that I moved as far away from neighboring houses as possible, so I know how you feel. Some people just can't stand being around other people all the time, and there is nothing wrong with that.
 
I'm sorry, truly. But I laughed at the title to this thread because it describes me.

Actually, my dislike is more particular. I don't necessarily dislike people. I dislike being in settings where I cannot tell them what I think of them. :D
 
jd7 said:
I'm sorry, truly. But I laughed at the title to this thread because it describes me.

Actually, my dislike is more particular. I don't necessarily dislike people. I dislike being in settings where I cannot tell them what I think of them. :D

Best post I've read in a while, I like your caustic humor so much JD. :D
 
I just found out there was a shooting outside the convenience store in which I wanted to shop,l and the street is closed for a police investigation.

If I hadn't been bothered by the thought of going there, I might have been there at the time of the shooting. Yikes!
 
mickey said:
I just found out there was a shooting outside the convenience store in which I wanted to shop,l and the street is closed for a police investigation.

If I hadn't been bothered by the thought of going there, I might have been there at the time of the shooting. Yikes!

**** convenience stores! I once met a serial killer in one. Now THAT was an interesting turn of events.
 
mickey said:
I avoid going out because it bothers me to have other people nearby.

Today I went downstairs to get my mail, and someone else was getting their mail at the same time, and I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Tomorrow I have to go to the convenience store. I'm apprehensive.

Thank you for listening.

Wow, that describes me exactly. I don't believe it's social anxiety, I just prefer not to be in close proximity to people. In a typical scenario - in the supermarket I will be looking for a certain item etc. and somebody will end up standing right next to me to get something often from right in front of me. I find it very rude (subjective I know), and I have to move away. I can feel the heat from their body but I don't know if this is real or imagined. I have had similar experiences with people I've known for years where I have suddenly had to remove myself to a distance away from the group.
 
I've managed to quell the anxiety somewhat, but I have days where the very existence of people in my proximity makes me panic. Fortunately I can work from home some days. If not for that luxury, I would have had a breakdown by now.
 
You might just be tired, so having people around you, is too much for you. Sleep does the trick for me. I have social anxiety myself to some degree, it is stronger when I`m tired (though I just push myself).
 
I went out today and noticed something interesting. When there was a person on the street wearing a bulky coat and hat and earmuffs and face scarf, I had little problem with them being on the street with me. But when someone was wearing a slim coat like a trenchcoat and had no head or face covering, their presence bothered me much more. Not sure what that al means.

I also find that I'm much less bothered by having people around me when it's dark than in broad daylight. Not sure what that means, either.

The good news was that I was able to go to the bank, the dollar store, the grocery store and the pharmacy without much issue. The fact that it was dark outside helped a lot.
 
Sci-Fi said:
The fact that you went out on Christmas Day to a restaurant by yourself (I assume) is admirable in itself.

It sure is. I doubt that i could handle that.
 

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