You're Not Alone: People Admit The Common Things That Scare Them Way More Than They Should

When you find something intimidating it could be crippling – especially when the thing you find intimidating is a person. But, if you’ve got to face this thing or person remember that you can get through it…I believe in you.

Interested in reading more responses? You can find the original article thread source at the end of the article.

“Going to meet people in busy bars and not knowing where they’re sitting. Wandering around looking for them and potentially looking lost causes me so much anxiety.”

“Talking to strangers on the phone. I don’t hate it, and I can do it, I just find it a little daunting.

Recently I spoke to a salesperson who talked way too fast. She asked me what sounded like ‘kaywaxxanumbratuppavafm?’ I asked her to repeat it and she said ‘waxxanumbratuppavafm.’ I said ‘I’m sorry, you’re talking really fast, I can’t…’ and she yelled ‘THE NUMBER! THE NUMBER ON THE TOP OF YOUR FORM. WHAT IS IT?’

That shook me up a bit.”

“Walking by a group of teenagers.

I’m a twenty-two year-old.”

“Calling people while my coworkers or boss can hear me. I’m super self confident when I meet new people in person and I have no problem talking to strangers on the phone. But as soon my boss or coworker can hear me, I lose all my self-confidence and try to avoid taking or making any calls…”

“Speaking english. I can fluently write and understand it. But I can’t pronounce stuff and it’s not like I would not know how to pronounce it. I can even pronounce it when speaking for myself. But as soon as I speak with someone, I can’t pull it off. I speak super broken english.”

“Being around people with visible talent or success. I have a couple of friends who work in music and T.V, and I’ve been to a few parties where there have been celebrities. I try to be cool, but it’s difficult to pretend that they’re not famous or freaking loaded, and I’m probably not particularly smooth.”

“There is this cool coffee place next to my house. They make great coffee. And their employees wear just regular clothes and seem like they are having a fun time. I go there so much, Im a regular; so they know my drink. After they write my order down they always ask the same question…

‘so what are you doing this weekend/tonight?’ and I just have to say the same thing, ‘I dont know…chilling at home.’

And it makes me feel intimidated and pathetic. I keep going back though because their coffee is so awesome.”

“People who are further along in life than me, who I see as something like a mentor figure. They give me stage fright. The relationship that I have with them, is different than the relationships I have with my peers. My peers have relationships with me, where they’re more likely to see my imperfections.

But with my mentors, I’m often trying to shape up for them, and it creates a faade of respectability, which makes me more afraid of failure. I can fail in front of my friends because it’s happened a thousand times. I can’t fail in front of mentors, because I’m an Eddie Haskal type around them, and don’t want to destroy the myth.”

“Attractive women.

I’m really not sure what it is. I’m a handsome man and I know I can be very charming. But once an attractive woman is around me, my head is down and she likely won’t hear a peep out of me. In time, I eventually get over it but at first meeting I’m absolutely nothing to be remembered, I’m sure.”

“Calling people, especially when I have to be ‘the adult.’

Like if I have to call for my 2-year-old’s appointments, or figure out health insurance debacles. I feel sometimes like I have no idea what I’m doing and that they will know that and think i’m not very smart.

I think it’s because I moved out at 17 with zero life experience because my parents didn’t think I needed to know how insurance worked or how to budget etc.

So I had to figure it out as I went and would have issues with my insurance all the time and end up telling them, ‘I’m 17 I don’t know what that means.’ It made me feel stupid and I think I still feel like that at times.”

“Writing emails or anything else that’s for others to read. It’s just words, it shouldn’t be intimidating at all.”

“Peeing at a public urinal. I have shy pee.”

“Life in general.

I am already tired all the time, am I really going to be able to do another 50-60 years of this?

When I say tired I mean that I feel emotionally drained constantly.

Usually once I get moving, I can distract myself, but whenever there’s a quiet moment, the weight hits me.

It feels like everyone else I know has figured out the secret and I’m just here faking it.”

“When people raise their voice at me. I know they’re not going to attack me, but it feels like I’m about to die.”

“Meeting a new person. Overthinking is something I suffer with terribly.”

“When someone is obviously smarter than me. Not just a little more quick, witty, etc, but when there’s an obvious difference.

I probably value intelligence more than I should or more than it is useful, but I just find it intimidating to be around people with that huge of a gap. “

“Calling in to work sick. Especially when I really am sick, it’s something I feel like I need to rehearse beforehand.”

“Any restaurant that makes you build your own sandwich, burrito or stir fry. There are just too many choices and I always end up pointing at things and saying ‘that one’ like a child.”

“Ordering things at a restaurant or fast food place. I know its irrational, but I feel like theyre secretly judging me.”

“Someone standing behind me when reading/watching/writing anything. I don’t care if you’re my mom, friend, or brother, I’m either gonna stop writing or alt-tab when you come up behind me.

It just feels weird and uncomfortable to me.”

“Driving with a cop car behind you.

I’ve driven behind a cop who was going 2 kilometers per hour under the speed limit. I passed him going the speed limit, but I had to convince myself that it was a perfectly okay thing to do.”

“Powerful women.

And I’m a gay guy. It’s weird. Powerful men don’t intimidate me as much.”

Article Source

Points are edited for clarity.