Laundry

[Day_Tripper]

How does doing chores like laundry effect you? And I'm not talking about the people who have a machine in their house, I mean the people who have a laundry room in their building. I'm not ashamed of admitting I've never done it before. My parents have always done it. Now they wanna teach me how to do it..... yeah, not gonna happen. I'm too afraid someone will be their and it'll be really awkward. Going outside and buying something is fine, but this is worse, because there's pressure for small talk. Pressure with people I might see in the elevator. See what I'm saying? Anyone feel the same?

 

[ripewithdecay]

Hehe, i do my laundry always some time after 10pm... sometimes even 1 o clock in the morning!

Never anyone around

 

[dottie]

just say a dark hi if you are in close proximity, don't make eye contact, and they will get the drift. awkward and you may feel panicy, but you have to do laundry. this is part of growing up and DEALING with your fears.

sorry i came across rude. in a shitty mood.

 

[AsHLeY]

You could do ur laundry while wearing headphones....it's not likely that someone will interrupt you to make small-talk while ur listening to music. Clearly they'd be able to see that you're busy.

 

[flchick81]

As hard as it seems, you should just say Hi, then they will probably strike up a conversation from there. And try not to think about it so much, even though I know it's hard to do. Good Luck

 

[xSleepy]

Well i cant really relate since my machine is in the house. But I would suggest the same thing Ashley wrote. Where headphones. Or pretend your messing with your cell phone.

I wouldnt want to wash my own laundry either if i were you! I think dealing with your fears is a good thing. Doing laundry isnt a big deal and i know thats not your problem. Doing it around other people is the problem. So i you still feel anxious about doing it, dont feel bad about it. And honestly for me, doing something i fear doesnt always help me get over the fear. Sometimes it actually makes it worse or just stays the same.

I dont know if i helped of not, but good luck with the laundry!

 

[Infected_Malignity]

this is part of growing up and DEALING with your fears.

was this last sentence really necessary? that was really uncalled for.

but to the original poster, you will definitely get over this! it took me a while but now i actually don't feel real uncomfortable in random conversation anymore. i used to have trouble with direct eye contact alone, stuttering, and even shaking! but now i do pretty okay, and it all started when i quit fighting it. truth is, nobody really cares if you're anxious in social situations. better yet, if you give yourself away and even go so far as to admit it directly to them, they'd probably just shrug it off anyway. especially since everyone has some level of self consciousness.

in other words, don't worry. this is one war you might have to lose in order to win. try getting overtaken by the fear with no aversion to it whatsoever... i guarantee you'll start to see things differently.

rock on. i believe in you

 

[piper23]

Avoiding eye contact is great. Bring a DS with you if you have it. It's a freaking laundromat, not a coffeeshop...hopefully ppl will realize this and not think you are there to tell your life story. If they are the chatty type, well you can either give short (kinda rude) answers, or talk back (as I feel like those ppl are less judgmental and easier to talk with).

Hope this helps!