# Is this paranoia or just being too self-conscious / insecure



## QuakerOats167 (Mar 29, 2009)

Whenever I'm sitting in my room just at my computer or watching TV (like right now for example) I always think someone has their ear pressed up against the door to my room just listening to me, so I'm always afraid to make any stupid noises or do anything stupid or play any music that the people around me wouldn't perceive as cool because I feel like whoever's at the door listening is judging me or something. And when I'm walking down the street I feel that every person I pass by is judging me and looking at me and thinking bad things about what I look like or how I'm walking or something... Whenever anybody around me is whispering to a friend or leaves the room with someone else or something I always think they are doing it because they're talking bad about me or I did something wrong. If I'm dancing with a girl at a party or something and she says she has to go to the bathroom or something I'm convinced she hates me or I must have done something horribly wrong. The list goes on and I'm sure some if not most of you have some of the same type of feelings... but would you call this paranoia or just being really insecure, self-conscious, etc? I don't feel paranoid but I'm not sure...


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## AstronautsGrapes (Sep 29, 2009)

QuakerOats167 said:


> Whenever anybody around me is whispering to a friend or leaves the room with someone else or something I always think they are doing it because they're talking bad about me or I did something wrong.


Oh man, i feel like this *all the time.* I think its just a matter of being too insecure...something im trying to work on.


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## PeopleAreStrange (Jun 4, 2009)

I think it's just self consciousness. I doubt paranoid people doubt their paranoia. It's not _maybe_ to them, it's _everyone is definitely against me_. That's how I think it is.

I too feel that way though. I doubt all my relationships, and that's why it's impossible for me to become close to someone. I can't trust them. I close my blinds on my windows, but I feel like someone still, is always watching.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Self-consciousness. I have it, too.


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## Indigo Flow (Oct 3, 2009)

you just described everything i do 

my sister even said the other day that i was a paranoid *****


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## Iced Soul (Jan 28, 2009)

I feel the same way.
In a way, it's annoying. I try to change my thoughts about it all, but it's hard to do.


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## epril (Mar 24, 2009)

I think clinical paranoia is worse.


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

This is very common in social anxiety disorder. I experience it too.


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## conjectural (Sep 29, 2009)

I feel exactly the same way. I even feel like someone is watching me when I'm alone in my room. So I hate changing clothes or taking a shower, because I feel like someone can see me and is judging me.


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

I have similar thoughts as well. There's a fine line between self-consciousness and paranoia. In my case, a highly stressful situation will sometimes trigger paranoia, even though I generally am not paranoid. If your fears start to heighten or become more bizarre, you should mention it to a doctor.

Paranoia is more extreme and often involves a break down in cognitive processes. For example, I used to hear voices, and they were so convincing that I had to believe I had supernatural hearing abilities in order to justify them. I would hear people talking from inside buildings while driving in my car, and I was so overwhelmed with fear that logic never entered the equation. Other examples of paranoia are thinking people on a sitcom are talking directly to or about you or believing that everyday objects hold special meaning. It's a little hard to explain but it has to do with reasoning skills breaking down. Most people who are paranoid don't know it, but there are varying degrees of insight.


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## Drew Ftw (Nov 10, 2009)

It's just self-consciousness and thinking everyone is paying attention to you. Remember one little rule, your the biggest fan of yourself. No one cares as much as you do about yourself and they aren't watching your every move. I suffer from this too.


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## My911GT2993 (May 14, 2009)

ye think its just being self-conscious, i always though that paranoid person would think people are plotting to kill him/her and that society is somehow trying to get them, wheras with sa, i think people are thinking badly bout me or , basically exactly what you wrote. i can relate to all of those you mentioned tho, esp the whispering/laughing thing. 
ye damn, you pretty much nailed it with wha u said, its intense


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## Rydan (Nov 11, 2009)

As others have said, definitely understand the whispering/laughing bit. On a somewhat related note, does anyone feel self-conscious even when there is absolutely no one around to see or hear you?


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## QuakerOats167 (Mar 29, 2009)

I do... like even right now. I feel like someone's reading what I'm typing somehow and probably judging the way I write on some forum. Even when I stand up and look out the window of my room I'm convinced everyone else is looking out their windows into mine to scrutinize me or something.


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## hhbugs (Jun 21, 2012)

Rydan said:


> As others have said, definitely understand the whispering/laughing bit. On a somewhat related note, does anyone feel self-conscious even when there is absolutely no one around to see or hear you?


@Rydan... I was searching for something that talked about this feeling! It's really hard to describe. It's like something clicks and you feel completely stupid for just being yourself and it's extremely awkward feeling and the weird part is you are all alone. I try and distract myself immediately and forget about the entire moment. Thankfully, it only ever lasts a moment.


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