Types of People

[PisceanWisdom]

Are there particular types of people that you're particularly anxious around? Or types of people that you're more relaxed around? For example, being anxious around good looking people, or relaxed around therapists. Do you find that you're more relaxed around people that are weird in some way?

 

[redski]

The loud mouthed unstable people. The people that act loud and give of the impression
how confident they are when in fact they are small little children inside.
My experience is that usually these types of people have more problems then I do with my SA.

I also get anxious around icy women, thinking to myself what happened to them that
they turned into such ice queens. Usually given my experience they are the most
unhappy people.

 

[evil feline space cadet]

I'm anxious around girls, middleaged women, children and guys Im majorly attracted to.
I'm relaxed around guys Im not overly attracted to, chatty people, girls who are tomboyish and people who are a bit strange!

 

[Iseesky]

I get anxious around very attractive guys (rather than talking to them, I ignore them and pretend I'm not interested) as well as really loud people who don't understand quiet people. They try to bring you out of your shell, but really they're just doing the opposite. If people just talk to me like they would any other person, I'm completely fine and warm up to them really quickly. But, they ruin it for me when they start to say things like 'wow, keep it down, you're being so loud!' or 'are you okay? You're so quiet!'

Also, like someone else said, I'm not anxious around people who are a bit strange. I feel like I fit in well with them. Also old people. Old people love me for some reason.

 

[scissorhands]

I'm comfortable around outcasts, oddballs, rejects, etc. I dream of someday becoming a savior or icon to the outsiders in the world.

 

[lunarla]

Really obnoxious, loud and outgoing people make me very, very anxious. I'm actually really comfortable around authority figures like teachers and everything because I feel like I'm more on the same level as them with being a bit more mature than the average teen. I'm mostly comfortable around people I've known for a while like a couple of my friends who are sort of weird like me. Unless I'm in a group (party) situation, then I'm just uncomfortable around everyone in general. Probably why I don't go.

 

[Lorraine Manca]

extra nice people freak me out badly, i don't know why! those bright eyes and the warm smile and smooth voice make me want to run for my life!!! its terrifying. im really completely serious. they make me shake and breathe shallow.

 

[mrb]

hmmm may sound weird but really good looking girls make me anxious , i think like if they see me looking at them , they will look back and think wtf is he looking at , so its quick looks lots of them 2 secs at a time the trick is not to get caught , hmmmmmm im starting to sound like a pervert here

 

[recluse]

Young people, teenagers especially because a lot of them tend to be obnoxius.

 

[limetree]

I pretty much echo most of the things people have already said.
(That's what I said!!)

Regarding authority figures, it depends on how judgmental I've seen them be in the past or whether they just give off a a cold, stern, intimidating vibe, grunting a lot.

Thread title reminds me of there being only two types of people in the world...those who make you anxious as f-ck and those who don't. :|

 

[limetree]

Young people, teenagers especially because a lot of them tend to be obnoxius.

Trufaxx. I'm less anxious going to dinner with my parents and their friends than I would be with teenage acquaintances, or listening to my aunties and uncles talk rather than hanging out with cousins close to my own age. Mostly bc I assume adults don't feel like they're obliged to talk to me.

 

[Richey]

people who are outgoing and needy for attention at the same time can sometimes be a real challenge. people that look cool and intimidating at the same time, like yesterday i met some friends of a person i know and they were just so relaxed looking and cool and tight as a group that it was fairly daunting. everyone was joking around and i couldn't think of anything relative to the banter.

quiet people are fine for me. i dont mind silences and i know i can sort of relate in a way. arrogant and needy people are really hard to be around. on one hand they speak their mind on the other hand they can become quite intimidating with their lingo. people in authority who talk down to others, i see people like this everywhere, they consider themselves superior beings and i can't stant those sorts of people. my parents are sort of that way. condescending in tone of voice and beliefs.

people who are free of prejudice, dont complain all the time, nice attitude. speak their mind, unpretentious, not hesitant, socially these sorts are the types that make friends easily.

 

[Why]

anxious around beautiful girls, outgoing ppl

 

[AimeeSP]

Over confident people make me anxious, yet sometimes i like it because then i usually don't have to say much lol. and then sometimes being around someone very quiet like me can make me anxious as i worry if we'd make conversation or just sit there not knowing what to say lol. Yet sometimes around another shy person i feel 'protective' of them and don't want them feeling anxious, so i over talk which probably makes them more nervous lol, whoops.

 

[Harleyq]

I pretty much feel anxious around anyone who doesn't look like a stereotypical nerd lol. I guess cause that's always been the crowd I make friends with. Everyone else intimidates me.

If I had to narrow it down to three, I'd say authority figures, groups of guys who look ghetto/thuggish (if it's only one guy walking alone, I don't feel as anxious), and girls who look like they belong on a show like MTV's The Hills lol...I can't exactly explain what they look like...trendy? But basically, girls that look like the popular girls I went to high school with.

I know the latter two make me anxious because the popular kids in my school were those fashion-conscious girls and thuggy-looking guys and they made fun of me.

 

[Awkward Annie]

I know what you mean Harleyq. Those girls freak me out and I cannot talk to them! With their fabulous hair and eye make-up and handbags!

Loud people I cannot abide, I just can't relate to them.

Authority figures make me anxious, if I have to speak them one-on-one I feel the panics coming on.

People who are hard to figure out, when you can't tell if they are joking or not or what type of thing they might find funny.

People who look and act a million miles from how I feel.

Give me the kooky girl in the corner with her knitting or the kid with his headphones on or the old lady with her shopping bags!

 

[Scrabbl]

To put it bluntly, almost all my friends have been "losers". They're not exactly good-looking or interesting or eloquent, and lack basic social skills. It sounds mean I know, but that's the only type of person I feel comfortable around. I think the root cause of this is my fear of rejection. I'm only comfortable around "losers" and outcasts because I believe there's no chance that these people will reject me since they have no other friends.

At times I even compare myself to these guys and feel better about myself. I hate myself for this. In a way, I feel like I'm using them. Why am I friends with them if I disapprove so many things about them? The answer - I feel inadequate around people whom I admire.

I guess it's a necessary evil on the path to overcoming SA.

 

[agoraphobickatie]

sometimes i feel anxious around all types of people, and sometimes i'm okay around any kind of people... i think for the most part, i am usually NOT anxious around old people (lol..) ..it's easier for me to feel comfortable around older women with children of their own - like if i have a job, i always feel comfortable around that 'mom' figure, because i figure parents have a real understanding of people, and they usually comfort me if i'm like "i'm nervous, i don't feel good " haha... as far as most recently, with my agoraphobia, when i go out in public, i feel anxious around any of the public, but it's worse if i see someone i know or a group of people i know, i guess i feel like if something crazy happened, they would remember better because they know me, but with just any random person in public it just wouldn't matter... blahhh yup lol

 

[lunarla]

I sometimes feel that if my friends were less attractive, less smart (grades) and more boring of people I'd feel a lot better about myself. But then, I can't really think of anyone to be friends with that I wouldn't feel very inadequate next to. I feel like I'm definitely the odd one out of my few friends and I have no clue why they like me and everyone else must be thinking the same thing.

 

[Shift]

Well, I'm more anxious around people who are quiet like me because I feel like I should say something, but I don't know what. I'm comfortable around people who talk a lot, because then I don't have to. But not around people who are obnoxiously loud. I'm also comfortable around people who are deaf because they are very loving and accepting and are okay with me being shy (unless they are the kind of deaf people who hate hearing people, but I haven't met any of those yet). I am also really uncomfortable around people who work at airports (but not the tech guys who fix the planes... one of my friends does that) because they will talk about me and make fun of me because they don't think I can speak English because I don't talk much and I'm not white.

I used to be comfortable with my best friend and I could talk to him about anything, but lately he has been pressuring me to talk more so I can hang out with his friends and now I get really bad anxiety around him and can't talk to him at all now.