Do you avoid people you know?

[Srijita52]

I do that a lot, like whenever I see people I know I always tend to look the other way pretending I didn't notice them. Its not becoz I don't like them or anything I'm just scared to go & talk. People think it as other way though, my friend was telling me today how my classmates think that I'm too proud or selfish cos I never talk to them or smile when we come across each other. But that's not the case at all, its just very hard for me. Does anyone else feel like this? (sorry if I couldn't explain what I wanted to say lol)

 

[Phoenixx]

Yeah I'm like this too. Just the other day walking back from class I noticed my roommate walking in the opposite direction going to her class. I instantly looked down at my mp3 player and started just fiddling with it, pretending I didn't see her until she said Hi. I'm always like this and I don't know why I'm so afraid of saying Hi to people I know in public. I guess I feel like I'm drawing attention to myself, so if I did it, everyone would look at me or judge me or something.

 

[beaver316]

Im exactly like this For some reason i much prefer to keep to myself then open up and talk with others, even if i know them.

 

[starbox]

yes! It's the EFFORT of making small talk, smiling; if i can get away unnoticed i will. But having said that, you cant ignore people if you think they've seen you- I know how it cuts you down when you acknowledge someone and are blanked

 

[brainfog]

happened yesterday actually, and yeah i do that too, it's like once we get past the whole "hi/wsup" thing just an awkward silence follows, so i tend to just pretend im on my phone or something, but if i've known him/her for awhile and am comfortable with them i'll continue the conversation after the "hi/wsup" stage, but with most people i don't go past that :/

 

[MikeyC]

I sometimes do, but not because I'm scared to talk. I just don't feel like making lame, superficial pleasantries.

 

[lurknomore]

I do this as well. If I see someone I know that might want to talk to me if they notice me, I'll usually try to hide, or change the direction I'm walking in if it's not too late. What really gets me is that if I'm somewhere with my kids, they automatically do the opposite- like if they see a teacher from their school they'll say "Oh, let's go say hi," and I'm just like, no, that's okay, we don't have to, but if the encounter happens, they do most of the talking and it's over with pretty quickly. I just don't feel comfortable talking to people- I have no clue what to say beyond "Hello."

 

[this_portrait]

Depends on the person, really. I feel bad for doing it most of the time, though. :/

 

[vj288]

Yes I do, I never really know how to act when I see someone I know so it is something I avoid. Do I wave? Is nodding acceptable? Will they hear me if I say hello, and if not will they think I'm being rude? Should I stop and try to make pleasantries, or is a greet and keep walking? If not, what the hell am I going to say?

I don't want to be rude or think I don't like them, but I do tend to avoid people I know when given the chance.

 

[Silatuyok]

...like the plague.

 

[MrJones]

It depends, but most of the times yes.

People tend to forgive me quickly and easily so even if I try to make eye contact and smile or something they just look at somewhere else, so I gave up and now (most of the times) I don't even care.

 

[Beatrice]

I think I used to do this a lot in high school, but it's hard to recall for some reason :/

I know that I definitely have done it this year, but I've made an effort to force myself to be more friendly, even if I don't FEEL that way. It kind of feels like I'm being fake sometimes (as in, making myself seem more sociable than I am), but the results have been worth it, as I have more acquaintances than I ever did at my other residential college (it helps that people are more down-to-earth here, though ).

 

[Deus_Ex_Lemur]

A few months after graduating in Spring, yeah. Go into a sort of hermit mode and Avoidance is the town you hide in. The longer it goes, even just a month of course becomes more awkward to DO and not avoid. We're creatures of habit, good and usually more so bad habits

 

[Penny420]

All the time

 

[JCVA]

Yes. This coworker of tries to talk to me and start in a conversation and all is well and fine but when it becomes suddenly quiet, I feel the urge on running away. The funny thing is, when I start a conversation with him, he wants to get away from the situation even no one hardly talks to him. He also keeps on asking the same topics and its becoming predictable now that I just try to avoid conversations with him.

 

[elek2ronik]

My story is pretty much the same as most of the above comments. I relate to this also. I also feel guilty afterwards, because I'm sure the people that see me probably think I just don't want to talk to them, or might not even like them.

 

[Lunar Llama]

On a very regular basis. I agree with everyone who said it's due in large part to the effort it takes to make small talk. I can't help but overanalyze everything I say, wondering if I sound stupid to the other person. I usually just walk around campus with sunglasses on since that's the easiest way to avoid making eye contact with people. If you can't see where I'm looking, you don't really know for sure if I saw you.

 

[Hamelech]

I don't like people in general except for my only best friend and one or two relatives, so I've no this problem I think. maybe only some weekends, when I want to phone mah buddy I tend to think to myself "he could be probably with his girlfriend right now, so I better don't disturb him".

I wish I were his girlfriend.

 

[Agent_Violet]

yep. i cannot handle small talk. i do this to my neighbors all the time. if i see them taking a walk or whatever, i 'casually' yet quickly walk inside as though i had been planning to go inside all along lol

if i see someone i know while i'm out, i duck and dodge. meanwhile my husband will be standing up and waving like a fool to get their attention lol then they come over and have small talk and I'm just standing there with a "die b**ch die" look on my face. i can't help it..i've truly tried to help it and i can't.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Only if i see someone out in public like the grocery store, they are always awkward encounters with conversations centered around both our presence at said place. "So uhh, getting groceries huh?"