[Manwithaplan]

I have noticed I cannot do certain things in public anymore without looking rediculous.
Its like one little small doubt enters my mind and then I erase it but that one little doubt causes damage beyond repair.
I can no longer smile because my mouth will twitch beyond control.Once that little negative thought enters my eyes will blink to the point where I cant see. Even when I think positive its like I develope two brains, one is echoing "possible mistakes, negative aftermaths", while the other is tryng to speak positive over the echo.
I hope I made some sense in this. I need to know if others experiance this type of thing and if so how do you overcome it??

The twitching thing idk what on earth I can do about it. I enjoy smilling but its something my body wont let me do, especailly for photos. Its like no confidence on earth can prevent that.:crying:

 

[Roze]

I know exactly what you mean. When I'm doing something in public, like say handing somebody something, my hands are usually pretty uncomfortable and shaky. This is super apparent when I do interviews .-. As for negative thoughts, for me it depends on its intensity. Negative thoughts usually get me angry at myself, but when I get sad about it, almost to the point of crying, I tend to blink like a million times a minute, lol.

I say there's two things you can do:

1) Learn to fake smiles. While it doesn't sound so positive, there's times where I'm so sad about something, that I can't manage a genuine smile in most cases. By doing this, you aren't potentially hurting other people or making them sad. And I really hate hurting other people or making them sad

2) Focus on something that you're one hundred percent sure will make you happy. Think about it and then expand on it, daydream about it. Reality can usually get us down, but daydreams won't since we're in control. When I do this, it makes me feel happy, and sometimes I turn into a bunch of giggles in public .________.

The key is to shift the focus from negative and turn it into something that will cause you to smile. Try to relax, and think happy thoughts

 

[Lad]

I know you stressed the public portion, but try this anyways.

Put a pen in your mouth, across from left to right. Similar to how people who are about to receive pain might bite down on something in the movies. However, relax your face while doing it, but make sure the pen is deep enough that it's past at least your 2 front teeth.

They say doing this replicates the same general muscles you may use as you smile. It can also be a bit of a cure for a headache. Nonetheless, doing this in private, do you notice any twitching at all? Or does it pretty much just feel ridiculous?

If you do feel twitching, tell me. Otherwise I'll assume no.

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The 2nd suggestion would primarily revolve around a close friend, or even family member. 1:1 convos about whatever, but try to smile more throughout it.

Generally there's no miracle answer, part of it is a confidence thing, while the other part would be that you somehow conditioned yourself to behave the way you do, we just need to figure out how to reverse that.

Straight up, it's not too hard to fix, but it's a matter of finding the right strategy that will work for you.

Hit me back with a response.

 

[Manwithaplan]

I cant fit a pen in my mouth. A method I found a helpful was thinking of things that make me bust a gut laughing. thx Roze, Lad . I must have really sensitive eyes because I cant keep them open and they always turn red.

 

[whiterwair]

Sounds like you've got some anxiety. I've got it, I've got it real bad, but the difference between us is that being around people usually lessens it for me. It's when I'm alone on the internet researching terrible diseases and whatnot that I feel my skin twitch and my hands shake.

Try not to care too much about "looking ridiculous". It's not a thing to care about. Try to listen to that positive side of the brain and I can almost guarantee you, when you stop worrying about this little thing or that little thing and start truly enjoying whatever it is you want to smile at, you will stop noticing the twitching and the other things.

 

[Acey]

i also deal with a lot of anxiety. Surround yourself by people who you feel more comfortable around. It's nearly impossible to do that, i know, and i guess that's why i still have anxiety issues.

When my mind starts to fill with negative thoughts, i just assure myself that i am a good person, and that is a big deal.

 

[whiterwair]

It is a big deal. That's all that matters in this world, to me, when it comes down to it. To try my best to be a good person. My anxiety is atrocious, and I almost always suffer inside at least mildly, but I honestly am pretty happy with the way I treat others and the amount of love I know I have, etc.

Now to work on being a good person to myself...

 

[Rogue Eagle]

I remember when I was 11/12 at intermediate we played 'finger guns' once, it felt weird and forced where before it came so naturally and we started to feel self conscious.

 

[barbalootSuits]

Let yourself be tense and uptight. Don't fight it or judge it. Sounds like you are hypersensitive of it right now, but you'll soon get tired of putting all your focus and energy onto it, it'll pass! I used to not be able to look up from my work at people because my neck was too stiff (which looked like the most ridiculous thing ever hahaaa), and despite me thinking it would never go away in a million years, it did.

 

[hood]

Yea I have the same problem from time to time, it used to be a bit worse but I just remember to not think about what I'm doing and to just do it, and think about something else other than what I'm doing at the second. When I try and focus on the exact moment it just doesn't make a lotta sense

now if it happens to me though I'll just laugh it off with myself.. or make a joke out of it since hey it already happened might as well milk it