Is this a normal thing to fear?

I want to go out more. I’ve spent a lot of time indoors and haven’t gone out in a long time. But I worry that if I just walk out side doing nothing, people will watch me and judge me for whatever I’m doing. I’m just a very private person and I don’t like doing things around too many people. Maybe I’m just self-conscious.

Voting Results
72% Normal
Based on 25 votes (18 yes)
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Comments ( 16 )
  • 9922992

    I used to feel that I had to keep myself as hidden as possible outside to avoid embarassing myself. Then one day I came to the realization that I would be the only person who cared.

    I saw someone mess up their lines and embarass themselves on stage only to walk out and not care saying "Meh, the audience forgets it by the next morning."
    Another instance is when I remembered one of my relatives getting their face covered in food in an embarassing way and realizing I forgot about it in mere moments.

    The point is that your embarassing and "world breaking" story is really just a background skit in someone elses life. 90% of people you see in a public area will immediatly forget about you. Do you remember the face of the last homeless person that asked for money or the last street performer you saw?

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    • Hubbard

      You raise good points, however the fact that you remember those instances well enough to describe them is a bit contradictory

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      • Ellenna

        H/she remembers them because it seems they were turning points in stopping worrying what other people notice. Read it again: I think you could learn a lot from that post.

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  • JellyBeanBandit

    You're agoraphobic, go to a doctor about it.

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  • litelander8

    Just do it. Trust me, no one gives a shit about you going for a walk. Get a friend to accompany if you think that will help.

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  • Doesnormalmatter

    Yep, your too self conscious.

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  • Boojum

    A psychiatrist or counsellor might put various labels on how you feel, but it might be helpful for you to understand that nobody else really gives a damn how you look or what you do, just as long as you more or less blend in with whatever is considered normal for people like you where you live.

    The vast majority of people are too worried about how they look and how what they do will be taken by others to be concerned about you. Most of those who don't really give a damn what others think of them won't give a damn about you either.

    Basically, you're really not all that significant to anyone others that know you well.

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  • palehorse

    A harsher way to put what everyone else said is: Other people don't give a shit about you.

    The other day I went out to buy groceries with my cousin's ball python wrapped around my neck like a scarf. I had a live snake chilling on me and nobody noticed. People don't pay attention to you nearly as much as you think. You're not the center of the world. Proportionally speaking, you mean nothing to roughly 100% of the seven billion people on the planet. In a few decades or centuries from now, you will be forgotten and nobody will ever know or care that you had once existed.

    So go out and enjoy your life. Hang out with the people that *do* care about you. Talk to strangers, dance in the rain, and fly kites on windy beaches. The world won't judge you - the world doesn't care. You're an insignificant mote of dust and you're going to rock it.

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    • Hubbard

      Wonderful answer 😂

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      • palehorse

        Thank you :)

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  • CapriSun

    I used to feel similar if not the same way. You have to force yourself to interact with people or else it’ll only get worse, fake it till you make it. It’s pretty easy for me to talk to people now and almost never have social anxiety. Being a cook definitely helped

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  • RoseIsabella

    Maybe you have social anxiety?

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  • Kirb_the_birb

    Rude

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  • Kirb_the_birb

    I have had that for about 4-5 years.
    When I was 8, I dropped out of my elementary school due to bullying, and resorted to home schooling. Around that time I had the same issue that I would be seen as a “freak”. It took time, but I realized that my differences are what makes me myself. Tell yourself that you can do it

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  • palehorse

    And in a hundred years nobody will remember you either.

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    • Kirb_the_birb

      Well, I’m bit of a hermit, so I don’t expect anyone to

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