Quietly Brave: A Social Anxiety Memoir

♡ My Social Anxiety Triggers - Pt 2 - Eating & Exercising Infront of People ♡

EATING AND DRINKING INFRONT OF PEOPLE

So this fear of mine involves being hyper-aware of how I eat or drink in public. So not chewing loudly or with my mouth open, not eating 'messy' foods that are hard to eat like ribs or burgers, making sure that food is not on my lips (constantly wiping my mouth with a napkin), or making sure that food is not stuck in my teeth by excusing myself midway through lunch to check.

This makes catching up with friends for a coffee a WHOLE ordeal. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking "jeez Katerina, you overthink every damn thing."

A couple of months ago, I decided to make trips to my local cafe and sit there by myself. Initially I took a book with me to look like I was busy. But then I relied less and less on my book/phone and started to get enjoyment for just sitting peacefully, munching on awesome food and drinking my calming tea.

I confronted my fear of eating and drinking infront of people. I also faced my fear of sitting  alone in a restaurant. Two birds with one stone.

#HELL YEAH! That's a win.

WORKING OUT INFRONT OF PEOPLE AT THE GYM

Going to the gym is daunting for someone with social anxiety as they fear that everyone is watching them and judging them on how they're using the equipment, even though realistically no one cares. Probably the worst thing about the gym is the gym classes that have mirrors everywhere that make you self-conscious about your appearance, movements and posture. Also, if I don't know how to use a machine, I won't even attempt to use it or read the instructions. These say that exercise is great for those with anxiety but exercising infront of people can be daunting. Getting hot, sweaty and panting infront of strangers? Hard pass.

Now I don't live locally to a gym but I have a mat at home where I watch Yoga and Pilates videos on YouTube.

I also love running on the beach and then jumping into the water right at the end to cool off.

There is no one way to exercise, we need to choose the type of exercise that works for us. I like the philosophy of doing "exercise that doesn't feel like exercise" which is fun and sustainable in our daily lives.

UNEXPECTED MEETINGS IN PUBLIC

As someone with social anxiety, I feel like I have to plan the things I want to say ahead of time (like what I mentioned above with writing down what I have to say before making phone calls).

It's a safety net for me to be able to anticipate certain social situations. So when you pop up out of the blue, I will stress because I am not prepared for it.

Like running into a co-worker at the supermarket or seeing an old friend at a cafe. I will most likely try and avoid glancing at you and pretend I didn't see you - not because I don't want to talk to you but because I don't know what to say and I fear that I'll make the situation even more awkward. Like I'm sparing them the awkwardness.

I'm curious -  could you relate to some of these things?

What makes you anxious? And how do you overcome it? Let me know in the comments below!

Next chapter I'm going to talk about driving... 🚗