What’s the WEIRDEST Thing You’ve Done Due to Social Anxiety?

Social anxiety can make us do some truly bizarre things to avoid awkwardness or confrontation. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done because of it? Share your stories in the comments! #SocialAnxiety #Awkward

[davidwas]

Saying “I know but can you still help me” is honestly such a smooth recovery

[Longbowgun]

As a vendor I often get mistaken for someone that works there.
Today someone asked me for help.
"I don't work here. But, maybe I can help you out."
It took - literally - 2 seconds to find the tea she was looking for.

[lindsey.]

thankfully my social anxiety wouldn’t let me end up in that “i don’t work here” situation

[sydneyelna]

I felt that first story on a personal level; I have a pretty similar story from my sophomore year of high school. social anxiety will forever be interesting to me like yes, I know I’m shy, reserved, and introverted; I’m self-aware enough to know these things but you don’t have to consistently remind me every time I’m around more than three people😭😭😭😭

[nicholascoker]

Joined my church choir as a guitarist because I couldn't say no to the choir director. Honestly had stopped going to church a few years before that and the isolation made my anxiety worse causing me to view people who I knew thought highly of me as consistently judging me. Social anxiety saved me here because having a constant group of people to get comfortable around and chat with really helped to remove that problem

[kaymmmm]

I remember I was shopping at a place I used to work at and someone asked if I worked there and could help. I was like "Well not in the past 3 years, but I could probably still help depending on what you need" lol.

[gretchenblair]

I was always too scared to speak out loud in front of people. Once in math class, my teacher was going around and picking kids to answer a question on the board. She called on me and I was so scared that in a panic I just started fake laughing for like three minutes straight and I wanted to cry so badly because the kids and the teacher were looking at me like I was a psycho.

[stellamariss]

Story one is very relatable. I’ve spent a lot of time in school just standing somewhere by myself acting like I’m busy doing something or finding ways to avoid the awkwardness of sitting at a table of others. I would go to the bathroom just to act like I’m busy or stand with my phone like im texting someone. I’d also eat actually slow so I would be alone after everyone else was done eating and left. I would always be last in line for things as well so I had less time to be with others as they finished before me.

[hollyleafwell]

When I was in uni it was mandatory to take a language class for your native language and while I did take that language all throughout my primary and secondary education, and I was fairly fluent at it, for some reason I was so nervous I forgot everything and just defaulted to English. Since my English sounds heavily British, people naturally assumed I was raised in the UK and came back to my native country for uni. So they all (even the professor) were very lenient with me. At the end of the semester, since the nervousness had faded away, I was more comfortable using my native language. So, by the end of the semester, I had many classmates come up to me and congratulating on my marked improvement in the language. To this day, they all believe I was the foreign/local kid who gained near native fluency in one semester.

[georgebeckons]

Mandatory maintenance check in my apartment. I knew they were coming beforehand. When I heard the knock on the door I had a moment of pure panic and hid in the closet until they left.

[Ocean_Monae]

1. actually seems kinda sad, but I get it. Some people are just genuinely okay with being alone, and I truly get that. You think you want friends, but you truly don't. Like, you think you do until you actually get them, then you wonder what can I do to get out of this and go home? Should I have just stayed alone because this is a lot? Do I even really want friends? I think I get why my former bestfriend didn't like me being an introvert. But in my defense when I did suggest things I was comfortable with it just wasn't "for her" I.e. bowling, going to the beach, roller skating, walking trails etc.

[TheSmasher]

The last one happened to me yesterday.

I am a lawyer, so I tend to dress as formally as possible even if I’m out of my office. The thing is that I was in a bank, waiting in queue to use an ATM. Then, a teenager approached and said “Excuse me, sir. The App won’t work in my cellphone.” I didn’t say anything, just smiled a little bit confused and she left immediately. Her face looked like a tomato.

[beeleaf]

I got a bloody nose while grading a classmate’s test. I had three choices: bleed on the person’s test, bleed on my favorite hoodie, or get up and get tissues. Tried to do the second option, ended up doing all three AND the teacher called me out😭

[Foxbee]

My best friend was once at a party with his mom and a bunch of other adults and almost no kids. He was fourteen at the time and a massive introvert. It was the type of party where the guests just walked around and there was also some food offered. Since everyone there knew the hosts they would just walk into the kitchen and put their plates in the sink when they were done. He noticed the dishes piling up and started cleaning them as a way to not talk to anyone as almost no one was in the kitchen. Eventually his mom found him and asked what he was doing. He explained and she said he couldn’t do that, this wasn’t their house and he didn’t know the owners. Somehow he convinced her to help him do the dishes with him for the next ten minutes or so before they left.
Once they got home the rest of their family had just finished dinner, and his mom made him do the dishes.
Fun fact: he hates doing dishes.

[Loive_]

Some people were asking if I put my cereal in first or my milk I said “I don’t eat food…”

[Cheesethe-]

First guy just training to be a ninja, respectable

[Lyndiloo]

I dreamed that I left my baby at the doctor's office and woke up crying because I was too embarrassed to go back to the doctor's office to get the baby.

[CiderVG]

Would rather sit in the bathroom then just walk in late to a class

[ThE_bOtAtRoN]

I'm the first one, except im extremely self-aware about visibility so I find spots that are uncommonly seen, and somehow, every time, its in the blindspot of cameras

Sometimes security finds me, I try to justify how it shouldn't be an issue if im keeping to myself (never works) reluctantly agree, then I move just out of their sight and move to another spot

[johnbarron]

That’s literally me even with friends. I just need space.