Running into People from the Past

[PhantomPod]

I get really anxious about seeing people I know from my past. I still live in my home town, so it always feels like a very real possibility. A couple people I went to high school with work at my favorite restaurant in town. Whenever I go to this restaurant I go with my mom and dad and I always start feeling embarrassed about it. Like I just went there on Friday night with my parents and I was hoping and praying that I didn't see anyone I knew (I've seen some people before hanging around the bar at this place). Since I'm with my parents I feel super lame and like a loser that I'm eating dinner with my mom and dad instead of out partying it up with my friends, like all the other people my age seem to be doing on Friday nights.

I'm actually doing fairly well for my age, at this point in my life, but I still feel super self-conscious and I really do not want to run into anyone I went to school with. Times where I have seen people I know I have just done the little "hey, what's up?" head nod towards them, and kept on walking by, to avoid a convo about what we are both doing with our lives.

 

[Alexfangirl]

Yeah I hate running into people from the past. The thing I hate is the feeling that their lives are advancing while I'm still stuck in the same place(emotionally, socially, financially) since I was a teen.

 

[ajo86]

I'm the same I hate seeing people that know me. Many times I've heard someone call my name, and I get really anxious and just walk really quicky and pretend that I didn't hear them. I know its bad to just ignore them and walk away but I am terrified to talk to them as they will be asking me so many questions about my life and I wont have anything to tell them. I'm just as boring as I used to be.

 

[Rodney]

Yes, its always on my mind when I'm walking on campus. Just yesterday I ran into an old friend from highschool and I couldn't avoid him because he turned the corner infront of me and saw me right away. I was both excited and nervous to see him. Since my social skills have deteriorated in the last 2 years I just started firing off any random question that came to mind to keep from awkward pauses and when he returned questions to me I would give the wrong answer and have to say "I ment....". To make matters worse I told him I was on break and had nothing to do so he suggested I join him for food and said he would pay for me. Ofcourse being the social retard I am I declined. Clearly I made it look like I just didn't want to hang out with him... as I walked away all I was thinking was f*** I should have said yes, it would have been good for me. Oh yeah I also declined another friend that evening to go to a tiger's baseball game. F****ing pathetic (Glad I got this off my chest. It was really bugging me)

 

[Mack_Berserk]

Lol, nice thread here.

I actually ran into a High School friend a year ago when I still live in CA. It was extremely awkward due to the circumstances surrounding our cease of communication. Basically, I was becoming more and more anxious over time while my friend became very popular. He would have many ppl around him that I did not know while I was hanging out with him. Then I suddenly cut off all contact.

When I bumped into him, I had to lie and tell him I had moved and was currently visiting. He then asked me to hang out and I blew him off. It was sad. He was a good friend. F*** SAD

 

[cruisin]

Yes, its always on my mind when I'm walking on campus. Just yesterday I ran into an old friend from highschool and I couldn't avoid him because he turned the corner infront of me and saw me right away. I was both excited and nervous to see him. Since my social skills have deteriorated in the last 2 years I just started firing off any random question that came to mind to keep from awkward pauses and when he returned questions to me I would give the wrong answer and have to say "I ment....". To make matters worse I told him I was on break and had nothing to do so he suggested I join him for food and said he would pay for me. Ofcourse being the social retard I am I declined. Clearly I made it look like I just didn't want to hang out with him... as I walked away all I was thinking was f*** I should have said yes, it would have been good for me. Oh yeah I also declined another friend that evening to go to a tiger's baseball game. F****ing pathetic (Glad I got this off my chest. It was really bugging me)

Yeah man I know how you feel. This is what I do too. Usually I just keep my head down if there is somebody I use to know, and hope they don't see me.