My cinema experience....

[IceLad]

Went to the cinema last night on my own. It was warm in there, and within moments of taking a seat, I could feel beads of sweat going down my face. It made my anxiety worse as I was convinced people might notice even though the lights were dim. My face was rigidly glued to the screen as I was too anxiety stricken to think about turning my head to see who else was there, and whether people would notice I was on my own.

My reasons for going? Well to see the film obviously which I enjoyed once I'd relaxed. But I also figured that I'm just so pissed off having 'postponed' my life for so many years, that I wasn't going to like social anxiety put me off a simple thing like watching a film at the cinema.

Does anyone else 'force' themselves to do things on their own and what are your experiences? Do you think people who are free from social anxiety would find it as socially embarrassing going to, perhaps, the cinema, a music conert, a sporting event or eating in a restaurant on their own?

8)

 

[scatmantom]

totally relate to this.

Cinema is a hard place for me to go, i dunno why but i get very nervous and hot. I do force myself to go if there is a film i like out tho.

Not just cinema, generally going out of an evening if its the pub or a night club, lately i just force myself to do it. Sure ill feel like shit for maybe the first half hour, but when you get thru that it beats staying at home alone. And the more you do these things the less they wil effect you!

 

[dzerklis]

yes, i force myself to do things too. The more i sit at home the harder it is to go out.
I have noticed that people who are free from social anxiety dont like going somewhere alone. My colleges never go to dinner alone and if theres noone to go with they rather wait for someone half an hour or longer than go alone

 

[Septor]

I don't know,I could not go to the cinema or restaurant by my self.

I have heard a lot of people especially non sa people say going to the cinema or restaurant alone as being strange or weird.

 

[triceratops]

I wouldn go cinema on my own but lately I did start going gym on my own which I would never do before coz my anxiety got the better of me but slowly I got used to it.

 

[maggie]

Went to the cinema last night on my own. It was warm in there, and within moments of taking a seat, I could feel beads of sweat going down my face. It made my anxiety worse as I was convinced people might notice even though the lights were dim. My face was rigidly glued to the screen as I was too anxiety stricken to think about turning my head to see who else was there, and whether people would notice I was on my own.

My reasons for going? Well to see the film obviously which I enjoyed once I'd relaxed. But I also figured that I'm just so pissed off having 'postponed' my life for so many years, that I wasn't going to like social anxiety put me off a simple thing like watching a film at the cinema.

Does anyone else 'force' themselves to do things on their own and what are your experiences? Do you think people who are free from social anxiety would find it as socially embarrassing going to, perhaps, the cinema, a music conert, a sporting event or eating in a restaurant on their own?

8)

hiya IceLad!!...i think it's pretty brave of you to go to cinema alone ....it would be hard for me to do that...the hardest part i think would be standing in line to pay and finding a seat.....awesome you did that alone :!:

 

[robo]

I go alone to the movies a lot also. The other night I went to see King Kong by myself, and I felt a little bit strange. It's a lot easier to go early in the day, when there aren't a lot of people there, and your more comfortable because people could think that you got a day off work, or were shopping and decided to stop by. I don't think I'll go at night anymore by myself.

 

[Olivier25]

Hey icelad

you said
"My reasons for going? Well to see the film obviously which I enjoyed once I'd relaxed. "

Great.

Dont you dare to look at your glass of water and see that its
half empty as a quick jerk of it will show you it was actually quite half full ; )

what im saying is i hope you see this as mostly positive as it ended well.
Not to pretend it was great all the way but who cares how it started
as long as it went mostly well afterward.

whatever you focus upon expands.

And that goes for anything in life.

I dont have to tell you that 99.9% of people could easily
make a beautiful scrapbook of the shitty things in their
daily lives and would feel awful.

We all know that.

anyway
You have to go again to the cinema to see King Kong : )

Im going soon also.

Im glad for you.

Olivier

 

[Falcon]

Congrats, that takes a lot of courage. I went to a movie alone once, and it was horrible, I kept wondering if someone I knew would walk in and see me alone...why the f*ck do I care so much what others think!?

 

[Frozen_tears]

I wouldnt mind going to the cinema on my own, but i would find eating in a restraunt by myself really difficult, because i'd feel like people were wondering why i was on my own or thinking i was a loser or whatever.

 

[Septor]

I would like to go to the cinema or restaurant to by me self but I could never get up a enough guts to do it.I would think everyone would be looking at me wondering why i'm alone.

 

[blight]

For me going to the cinema is pretty easy these days. The main thing is that I live in a big city where I don't know anyone so I know I'll never have to talk to anyone. You even buy tickets from a ticket dispenser machine in the lobby if you have a credit card.

As the movie is ending though I am *always* the first person to leave. Most of the time I am out of the theater and down the hallway into the lobby before anyone else has left. I also get there a little late.

People may think it is weird that i'm alone there, but I don't really care about that, especially since it's dark and there is no interaction with people.

 

[gg]

:arrow: i have no problem what so ever going to the cinema. i dont get nervous about anything. but i have never been on my own & probably wouldn't. also around the corner from me is the drive ins. i love going there because I'm a smoker & i can smoke in the car & fart out loud if i need to coz no 1 will hear me! hahaha!
but if that was a hard thing 4 you 2 do & you did it, then good 4 you. i hope you enjoyed the movie :!:

 

[IceLad]

I think what helps greatly when I go the cinema/ eat in a restaurant/ watch a sporting event, is the knowledge that I'm not the only one there on my own. Most of the time, I can actively look around to see if there is anyone else on their own as it provides me with a great deal of reassurance. 80% of the time I would say that there are other people on their own at the event. It eases my mind that I'm not commiting some terrible social faux pas.

8)