Can you still act normal ?

[Clown]

Can you still act normal beside the social anxiety ?
I mean can you talk normal and making a good sentence, find the right words and not sounding so strange with a shaky voice etc. without appearing weird

When im with a authority figure I can sense he thinks Im weird because I get so up tight and can't articulate very wel anymore because of the anxiety...and he probably thinking why im behaving and talking so weird...and I have this with most people to some extent...with socialphobia you think you act weird, but I actually appear being weird so how can I ever change that thought process to a postive one when its actually true I can't pretend thinking Im not when I am..

 

[EscapeArtist]

There are some people with natural charisma who know what to say. Normally I lose track of my thoughts around other individuals so I stay quiet unless we are on a serious topic where I have knowledge, otherwise stick to short, common small talk responses and overly smiling for no reason other than anxiety.

I relate to when you say you feel awkward around authority and that you're acting weird. I have this too. It always feels like authority is extra judgemental and expecting more "perfection" imo, so it makes it extra difficult. I think a lot of people feel this way, perhaps it takes practice and observing how others act in the presence of authority, or perhaps i have no freaking idea.

 

[spider04]

It varies, for the most part i'm okay if I know what i need to talk about.

 

[shakethelight]

No. I can speak well but I have terrible eye contact skills. I play with my hair and I move around a lot.

 

[Lexis]

It depends for me. Around my family and close friends I'm myself but around other people I close up like a clam and have a hard time keeping the conversation going.

 

[Invisibleman]

I can pretend but its so mentally and physically exhausting.I imagine many people on here are the same way.

 

[oscarwilde]

Sometimes yes, sometimes not that much. I can never judge what my behaviour looks like from the outside anyway. I used to try really hard to appear normal, but others always intuitively sensed it was just an act I put on, copying what I believed to be their concepts of life. I think I wasn't very good at that, but still, I choose this way since it's safer. People feel that I don't fit in, but see that at least I'm trying and therefore leave me alone.
I do want to lose the act though. Strange or not, this is who I am and life is too short to play charades all along.

 

[Starry]

No... I just find it so difficult... I speak as little as possible and am visibly anxious, but that doesn't bother me... The fact I'm interacting with anyone bothers me more than enough!

 

[XxXWhiteRoseXxX]

There are some people with natural charisma who know what to say.

Sadly, I am not one of those people. ::

Normally I lose track of my thoughts around other individuals so I stay quiet unless we are on a serious topic where I have knowledge, otherwise stick to short, common small talk responses and overly smiling for no reason other than anxiety.

That is 100% me. It's very awkward, especially around people that don't know me well. :/

 

[Hellhound]

Impossible. I can't make eye contact, I stutter at times, I can't stay still. I can make sentences without an issue, but it's impossible to talk without looking eccentric.

 

[coyote]

i doubt anyone has any clue about how i really am from the way i behave in public

 

[Arthur_Dent]

Most of the time I do, some may notice me as shy or introverted, but not that there is something particularly wrong with me.

 

[JuiceB]

I can pretend but its so mentally and physically exhausting.I imagine many people on here are the same way.

Yeah it takes alot out of me when trying to act calm and natural, even in front of family members that I haven't seen in years.

 

[CillaHasBrainActivity]

Eeeh. Define "normal."
Many people call me "weird" but that's usually meant as a compliment. I act like nothing's bothering me for the most part, if that's what you mean.

 

[hidwell]

i doubt anyone has any clue about how i really am from the way i behave in public

I can believe that.

 

[xDreamseller]

I am very shy around people apart from close family and friends, so I tend not to talk a lot, unless it's about a topic I'm really interested in / knowledgeable about. I also hate the idea of small talk, so that doesn't mix well with being shy. To me, when someone tries to make small talk, I just hear in my head "I have nothing to say to you and I'm scared of "awkward" silences". I find small talk more awkward than silence. It doesn't bother me to sit and eat a meal with someone with neither of us speaking at all. I would much prefer that over some stupid conversation about the weather and the price of petrol being 2p cheaper at tesco.

I work as a cashier at a local shop and this only makes my dislike of small talk even greater.

Silence > Small Talk.

 

[anuskas]

i doubt anyone has any clue about how i really am from the way i behave in public

x2
I don´t look like a social phobic person and I don´t have panic attacks but have other psychological symptoms

 

[xDreamseller]

x3? I guess. I look nothing like how I really am. Any time I let someone know something personal about me, they always seem shocked.

 

[SoScared]

Well this is why I am on here. My gaze (hyper-vigilant) gives away my anxiety…..but I’m working on it....
Right now I tend to lose it and show my anxiety if I have been sat down somewhere, in a café or somewhere like that and then get up to make my way out of the place. When I’m sat down I’m reasonably relaxed, when I get up I’m just a mess.

 

[this_portrait]

I'm (slowly) getting better at it, but my voice is still rather shaky and I tend to stumble over my own words and spout out a bunch of random drivel in a conversation just to keep it going (especially when on a date). You can definitely tell I'm nervous.