Socializing or Faking

[Pieces99]

Hi! After a few days staying at my home, I decided to go out with my bestie and meet some of her friends. I thought socializing would be a good change. I was comfortable when my bestie was interacting with me. But it was a group of friends so she cannot always stick with me. I tried a little bit of talking and I sensed that there expression changes when I speak something. Then I got quite and I just listened to them talking. I was from time to time zoning out and if whenever they laughed I would suddenly come back to the present, not understanding a thing and began fake laugh. Basically I felt out of the place. They were good and humble people but I couldn't connect with them at any level.

It made me think that how long do I have to fake laugh or pretend in my life. Or maybe I'm just a slow thinker and cannot pace up with people or whatever. Honestly, I have no idea.

Thank you for reading and share your experiences similar to mine!!!!

[ChicagoGirl1961]

Just be yourself. Be comfortable in your own skin. Don't worry about what other people are thinking of you, when we have anxiety it often skews our perspective regarding our interactions with others. If one can stop worrying about what others may or may not be thinking about us I think they will find that they are far more comfortable in social situations. Be well.

[sunandbutterfly]

I remember one of the first times that I went out on a group outing with a popular friend. It was strange sitting at the table with the popular people. They were kind, but since they did not know me it was hard to interact with some. So, I spent time with a person who was left out and not at the popular table. Perhaps, if you go out with your friend again, you could look for someone who is or seems more out of place than you. Hope that helps!