Anyone spend too much time indoors?

well written brother.. this is quite nearly quoting the way i feel sometimes when out, i think it's because people like us.. to be honest, we know that a good percentage of people out there in the world are ones we'd prefer not to be involved with.. but it's meeting the others like ourselves that make it worth living, and if we do start to venture out we eventually find that all people are struggling with some level of this exact same anxiety, whether they aknowledge, admitt, show it or not it's there to some extent in at least certain situations.. it's natural instinct to protect one from pre-apprehenced ( and sometimes imaginary?) stress.. we feel subconsciously or not that something which stresses us or something that we do not enjoy will be experienced if we do go out. the intensity of this anxiety i believe is infinitely variable; and so are the causes, stressors or even memories that can conjuer up it's existance.
my main point is, it must be ignored if one wants to truly experience..
i've found it helps to imagine it (anxiety) is your enemy, thwarting you from the very experiences you are missing, as i believe this is it's true nature..

i look back on time spent alone however, and if i feel something important was learned or realised this is considered no waste of time to me as i know without a generous portion of time alone, i wouldnt be who i am today..

you know inside you what it is you desire, so let nothing halt you in it's aqusition!! :2thumbsup:

 

^^^this^^^

 

^^^ good words of wisdom to follow

 

People in cars will look at you when you are walking or biking around. Why? Believing its because you are of any importance to anything in their life to the extent that they would judge you is egotistical. They look at you because that is what people in cars should be doing, watching the non vehicular entities around them, because pedestrians and bikers have the ability to, and often do, cross streets at less then ideal places for people in cars on the road. They look to make sure they are not going to hit you or so your not going to hit them. Any judgmental position they take is only after the original purpose of being conditioned to being aware of your surroundings while driving. And even then, people must be on a pretty high horse to believe that their existence is important to random people in the cars for more then the second it takes to look at you. Think of the last time YOU were driving, or walking around on the streets or in a mall or whatever. Can you remember anything about the last 5 people you glanced at or crossed your path. I bet you could remember 1 or 2 tops, and only if you personally developed some kind of quick delusional connection to make yourself they thought of you for more then a second after you passed them.

I am a homebody too, and I do get some anxiety when I go out. But I am smart enough to know its all in my head and to stop believing I am somehow important on any scale to anyone driving around. My job now has me outside talking to homeowners for a good 10 hours a day. So I treasure the time I am home.

 

Yeah egotistical! That's exactly what I remind myself if I ever get paranoid. Why would people be looking at you? What makes you so important or interesting in contrast to other people and their lives?? You aint that fascinating to look at! haha...

 

Careful you don't end up with a fat arse.

 

Yeah one time I was walking around Walmart and I swear a couple people were following. I wanted to whip around ask what they were up to. I just felt staring eyes everywhere but I do my best to convince myself it's not happening and keep to myself. Guess I'm just nuts like that.

 

I just don't see the point in anything anymore...I feel trapped by this artificial existence.

I am typing to you on my computer while my son plays mortal combat and my boyfriend sits on the sofa watching tv.

There has got to be more to life then another episode of judge judy.

When I do meet people they are either way to cool for the likes of me or so superficial that I would rather just sit and mope. Like my neighbor who had a room made just for her shoes.


Sometimes I feel that life would be way more enjoyable if I had a small place somewhere out in the woods maybe even life in a tent. Waking up to the birds feeling the sun on my skin. Perhaps even a band of sisters and brothers just on a small bit of land doing our thing. Playing music under the stars, bathing in a brook, picking berrys and stuff like that.

Cats, dogs, chickens the whole shebang.

But i guess thats a whole other post?

 

Amen to that! How to get back to the garden? Civilization has a strangle-hold on us.

 

OP- I feel the same way. I dont get out much since I graduated high school and I even kind of ignore my friends that want to go out...I feel antisocial sometimes but I'm outgoing whenever I'm actually around people I like.

I feel awkward when I'm out by myself, I never go out by myself if I can help it. I feel like everyone is looking at me, and thinking things about me. If I have someone with me then talking to them is a distraction. Like if I'm walking by myself somewhere I just feel like I don't know what to do with my arms half the time. lol

 

I love both in- and outdoors. Indoors for lazy days, outdoors for activities. Unfortunately I'm a very lazy person, so I perfectly fit into this thread .

 

hey just gets some xanax i did because of anxiety issues ..... it works for me and when you do get out you feel a hole let better maybe go check out a park or some thing and smoke a big fatty

 

go outside

 

Im the same way, i cant even remember the last time i rode my bike just for the fun of it, or went out to play sports with friends. Well i take that back, where i work (paintball field) we can usually play for an hour at the end of each day if all the customers have left.

 

Yes, but Im in a foot cast so its hard to get around for the next couple of weeks...but even aside from that, its not too hard to just go outside but I...dont.

 

Hm...
Seeing as I got to know a pretty serious agoraphobic and paranoid schizophrenic while almost sliding into the pattern of social anxiety myself on account of depression I figure I might have some valid points on the subject.

It seems to me the most common way this happends is when someone finds a reason for themselves to distance and withdraw from human contact for longer periodes of time, this will unavoidably lead to a severe drop in social skills and your conscious control of body language.
These things will again lead to you being conscious and worried about said lacks and faults and thus making them even more obvious to anyone you converse with by trying to hard to overcome them.

The solution?
Treatment by exposure, only thing I ever found that helps.
Force yourself out there, force yourself to talk to people and run a score card (mental or real) on how long you can keep a complete stranger talking before the conversation goes stagnant.
Work at it for half a year rigurously and you should hardly find any traces of your earlier uncomfort or unease.
These kinds of exercises will eventually lead to a markant increase in your social skills and will bring with them a confidence that will further boost your abilites to touch the minds around you.


Mind you, in the case of some mental illness the mind can overcome most but medication might be required.

 

Everybody feels like that at some level. Thats why clubs and places sell beer. It breaks down the self conscious and helps you relax. Just remeber your not the only one feeling self conscious. Its just the rest of them have already started drinking and are loosened up. Whenever I walk into a joint alone I'll talk up the bartender, go to the jukebox, watch the band or TV or start doodling or playing with a stir stick looking like I'm lost in my 'interesting' thoughts. lol Just remember your not alone in your self consciousness. We all share that some of us have learned better ways to cover it up. Just get out there! Live experience is where its at!

 

I hardly ever go out other than a short walk with the dogs a few times a day......