# Not as socially anxious when around strangers.



## Infexxion (Jun 29, 2009)

I seem to be not as bad with people as I am when I see someone I know. I go to great lengths to even avoid them seeing me. Don't get me wrong, I still get nervous when I have to socialize with strangers, but someone I know is like twice as worse.

Is there a condition for this? I mean, obviously it's still social anxiety, but is there something that relates to fearing seeing people you know outside of school? Or is this completely odd?


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## 1ShyGuy (Jul 1, 2009)

Infexxion said:


> I seem to be not as bad with people as I am when I see someone I know. I go to great lengths to even avoid them seeing me. Don't get me wrong, I still get nervous when I have to socialize with strangers, but someone I know is like twice as worse.
> 
> Is there a condition for this? I mean, obviously it's still social anxiety, but is there something that relates to fearing seeing people you know outside of school? Or is this completely odd?


Hi, firstly this doesn't seem odd, more like peoples expectations of you which causes more anxiety. Like if you around someone you know, you have to be in a certain way with them. whereas if you with someone you don't know, you don't because they don't know you. I hope this helps, it just came to mind


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## radames (Jul 6, 2009)

Yeah, they pretty much don't know you and you can be anyone you want. But when you have to be real with them it is like they can take power away from you because they know the real you. You can't hide anymore and they can do whatever they want with the truth they know about you. It takes a lot of trust to let people know the real you. Acting is what a lot of people like to get away with because, really, they are trying to protect themselves from sadistic bast***s.


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## imt (Sep 22, 2008)

i'm quite "normal" around strangers.


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## lyssado707 (Oct 29, 2004)

Yes. Put me in a populated, anonymous area and my extraverted side (however tiny it may be lol) will show more. It is very freeing.


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## letitrock (Jan 10, 2009)

No this isnt a condition or anything-I'm the same way, and I used to think I was weird because of it, until I made a post about it one day, and a couple people were the same way and one person said it's probably because it's more "intimate" with someone I know so that made sense in a weird way and that was all the explanation I needed.

So yeah, this whole feeling less anxious with strangers thing is just part of sa


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## avoidanceextroidinare (Jun 29, 2009)

With strangers I can be who I want to be, people I know are too close to lie to.


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## sansd (Mar 22, 2006)

I'm not comfortable around strangers but I usually am less anxious and worried about what they think. I don't expect someone I don't know to remember much of anything about me even if I do encounter them at some point in the future, so it doesn't seem to matter so much.


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## PickleNose (Jul 11, 2009)

Yeah. If it's a bunch of people I never have to see again, it's not so bad. I just don't like the thought of people who know me knowing things about me and thinking about me, etc.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

for SAers their specific types/demographics of those who give them most anxiety can differ quite a bit. if i was in a situation where a strange approached me, and i actually feel like talking and am in a comfortable setting, i feel more confident and it can be pretty decent which feels good - but if i were to run into an acquaintance, even if i've known them for years, my anxiety would be pretty bad and i would be freaking out over what to say and just think about the easiest way to get away. 
it doesn't make much sense when i think about it but i consider it a good thing that there are at least some people i encounter that i can talk to even if it's just one conversation, so no it's not at all a condition.


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## sadie08 (Sep 17, 2008)

No I don't think it's wierd I'm totally like that. That's why I'm hop skipping and jumping through my exposures so well for now....it will be a whole different ball game when I'm in the situations with people I know like at work or husband's friends, family, etc. I'm trying to figure out how I will handle those differently.

I think it's because strangers don't know anything about you, they have no formed opinion of you, so it's a blank slate each time, almost like a chance to start fresh or from scratch. With people you know...they already have judgements made about you like it or not, good or bad, and know your past or some things about you so it's harder because you likely have all that in mind when you interact with them. Definitely tougher.


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## saym (Jul 14, 2009)

I'm like that too. Unfortunately we live in a tiny town so everyone knows me--but since I'm so quiet, the only bad thing anyone can really say about me is "she's really quiet" haha!


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## Happ2beme (Jul 13, 2009)

I like it when the Grocery Chain I go to rotates their cashiers to another location and I feel comfortable with a new cashier....for a while.


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## UKPhobe (Oct 22, 2008)

I've found this can sometimes be true of me, particularly since these strangers don't know too much about me and therefore are not in a position to judge.


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