Whats the bravest you've been lately?

[rudster]

I have recently started lift sharing with 3 others on a 40 min journey - nowhere to run and hide, very scary.

Lots of anxiety and sweating - I even manage to steam the whole car up!

[Byrney]

I went to a Comedy night at my local cricket club which is the size of a large garden shed and gets packed to the hilt. The comedians are renowned for picking on people in the audience and making fun of them. Two blokes in our group got ripped to pieces and one dragged up on stage, as you can imagine I was cacking myself but didn't get chosen. For some reason I felt bad about myself the next day because I felt my friends where stronger than me and felt like a coward. I don't think the hangover helped my mental state either.

[Morgana]

Twice recently I've gone to local social groups, meeting up with complete strangers! Very unlike me....

I'm the same, Byrney, I feel sort of guilty and ashamed afterwards if I've tried socialising. I give the situation an entire mental post-mortem, and feel bad about it. A hangover doesn't help.

[ripple]

I've been Skyping recently, and following on from those online conversations I have booked flights to go meet someone in the U.S.

I think it's sink or swim time for me

[rudster]

Ah ha the dreaded postmortem! It's a funny old thing, we achieve so much but still manage to draw out the negatives - LOL! Brave stuff all me thinks!

@ripple - I think that's very brave and will take a lot of courage. I fail to see how you can sink though? Even if it doesn't go as well as you hoped, you did it. You're challenging your fears which is always positive.

[Medea]

Having workmen in. I'm pretty avoidant these days.

[DragonWing]

I am in fixing mode so doing lots all at once but can't get my brain to focus as a result.

decide it was all getting too bad last month so have done lots of abnormally brave things since:
went docs and handed a double sided page of a4 over but said almost nothing, that was followed by a telephone assessment which i was dreading.
I volunteered for an extra and unusual shift at work at a place and time i never see.
i volunteered to help with something at my kids school. i dreaded it, arrived late and left after half an hour but i turned up!!

[Cheshire Cat]

I have recently started lift sharing with 3 others on a 40 min journey - nowhere to run and hide, very scary.

Lots of anxiety and sweating - I even manage to steam the whole car up!

That's brilliant Rudster. Very big challenge sharing those car journeys. Well done you!

The scariest thing I have done recently is helping my mum pot the Christmas tree

Seriously, it used to terrify me because she'd always get so pissed off with the task!

[ßazza]

Volunteer thing where had to sell turkeys to customers within a supermarket that went to someone else who couldnt afford it. (Besides me.) Which involved being one those annoying peeps that talks to you when your busy minding your own business. My personal best was 4 turkeys from one customer. (Like over a hundred dollars.) Best day was prob like 30-40 out of a target of 100-150. A target for the whole team that is. I reckon that was around 25-30% of a team of around 5-8 people idk. Mostly just guessing my numbers because its hard to focus on it at the time.

Not so much that I had even attended such a thing but more that I tried very hard to be good at it, which required pooling alot of my learning. I would say I was quite successful at seeming not only normal but also not bad at it. I am certainly terrible at selling anything, I am not a salesmen, I dont have that skill. However as a more regular individual without that skill set I feel like I was showing the most initiative, being the most active to interact with the public, having the biggest pair of balls compared to the others as they stood around. There were some others who were making an effort too though lol, some peeps who were simply better at such a task. Considering I lack the skills to understand peeps that well I do feel some merit that it was myself that was doing most of the sales in my zone at one point.

Whats more I did the usual rounds of making those in the team like me and a wish to talk to me, which isnt really difficult in itself but it does become difficult when I was doing the sales which were stressful. (Such rejection lol - Not accustomed to it. =p Some peeps just ignored me completely. ='( lol.) I even had a good laugh with someone and it was genuine for me. I actually felt bit gutted that I wasnt ganna bother ever seeing them again, as it would of been a bit unusual. Mostly I try not to care though as it is a lot of effort anyway. Certainly enjoyed that moment in time even if it was short lived. You should of seen the eyes in my team leader (but also volunteer - but greater responsibilities to manage peeps) when I told him how such a good job he had done as I was saying my goodbyes. It was such a ultimate golden moment, his eyes were glowing. He seemed so enriched within himself but outwardly remained indifferent as could be. He really was pretty good person to ask questions to, kind etc. Im glad he took my feedback well.

Got a woman to move her car without her feeling too embarrassed. Thats always a good achievement lol. She seemed upset but I got her laughing. Really though she was a big inconvenience for me which resulted in waiting in the cold for like 5 minutes within like minus 10 celsius when it was snowing, maybe colder. Silly people. Really you just wanna say 'you stoopid woman im freezing my ass off because of you' and smash a trolley into her car for blocking my access.

As exhausting as it can be, it really is a shame I wont see some of those peeps again most likely. There is a chance but the opportunity was a limited one. Possibly in future they attend a similar thing as me but I doubt it.

I would say a successful brave endeavor.

[rudster]

^ some very challenging stuff there mate, and it sounds like you 'smashed it' - nice one!

Exposure therapy is amazing, it reminds me of something my counsellor said to me which has stuck in my head and spurred me on. She asked why I didn't talk to certain types of people (strangers, confident, judgemental, good looking, etc) and I said I found it too challenging so didn't bother. Her response was, "poor them". It's a little out of context, but imagine if you hadn't of spoken to those people - what a shame for both parties!

Nice one buddy

[LBD27]

Good for you Tabitha! No one deserves to be put down like that. I hope he thinks twice before trying that again.

My brave thing is that I went to my own graduation at the Barbican. Sat with complete strangers and got up on stage in front of a packed auditorium! I very nearly didn't go but my DH persuaded me and I'm glad he did

[Fifiputter]

I had to join a new team at work after my team was disbanded. I'm now stuck in a room with people I don't like, and people who make me feel very uncomfortable. But...I'm into my second week now and doing ok! .....so far anyway! I never thought is be able to do it.

[Pathetic_Earthling]

Went to my first beginners Spanish class last night. There were around 15 or so people there of varying ages. I was nervous and uncomfortable and felt like I was sweating buckets. There was the usual round of introductions which was difficult. It is inevitable that there will be a lot of speaking to the class as that's how we learn.
Well I did it and I'm pleased with myself.

[Morgana]

I think most of us are a lot braver than we give ourselves credit for

[ExSAguy]

looking people in the eyes when I talk to them.
its totally weird

[Sun Harmonics]

Originally Posted by ExSAguy

looking people in the eyes when I talk to them.
its totally weird

I find it takes so much concentration to do this, makes conversing normally difficult

[Morgana]

Went to a guitar course....yes, playing in front of other people

[DragonWing]

Originally Posted by ExSAguy

looking people in the eyes when I talk to them.
its totally weird

i am working on.this at the moment, well trying to. I looked my boss in the eyes wonkily the other day. felt very weird and creepy!

[gloriousbirds]

Joined a singing group, kind of a choir set up. Its exhausting, sometimes really fun and if someone told me 6 months ago I'd be doing this, I would've smacked them round the face with kipper multiple times, whilst pointing skywards at the flying bacon.

[Cheshire Cat]

^wow, well done. I'd love to do that.

[gloriousbirds]

Originally Posted by Cheshire Cat

^wow, well done. I'd love to do that.

Thanks . I love how much better my voice appears to be when its all smushed in with others, genuinely makes me just so happy.

[Pink*Lady]

Went bowling with 10 people last night and I only know one of them. They were a very friendly group and I had a great time. :-)

[Pathetic_Earthling]

Originally Posted by Pink*Lady

Went bowling with 10 people last night and I only know one of them. They were a very friendly group and I had a great time. :-)

Awesome, well done