Feeling strangers are talking about you

[hollowone]

If you're in a pub and you notice people looking ur way, it's easy to assume they're looking at you, criticising u. Noticing quietness, knit picking body language. They probably aren't. Some might look in you direction to follow follow conversation and chip in. Got to stop assuming worst. What might have happened to me in the past? Being with too many of the wrong ppl.

[umm]

I don't need to be in a pub to feel this. If I'm in the wrong mindset, pretty much any group of people will, as far as I am concerned, be plotting my downfall or at least commenting very negatively about me. I know it sounds insane yet that's how I feel sometimes. To be honest I am sort of used to it and it doesn't really bother me that much, though it can get tedious. Of course, if total strangers are so obsessed with me, I must be quite interesting, I s'pose...

[scarlettgirl]

The worst is when it turns out they really were talking about you, and negatively. I know majority of the time people are not, and it's just paranoia, but i've had a few bar situation with people smirking at me, talking, and I know it wasn't my imagination. Sometimes it really isn't paranoia, and thats the crappiest feeling

[umm]

Originally Posted by scarlettgirl

The worst is when it turns out they really were talking about you, and negatively. I know majority of the time people are not, and it's just paranoia, but i've had a few bar situation with people smirking at me, talking, and I know it wasn't my imagination. Sometimes it really isn't paranoia, and thats the crappiest feeling

I don't think it needs to be so bad. If people are talking negative things about me, it must mean that a. I am significant enough to come up on their radar and b. they feel sufficiently threatened or unsettled by me to say bad things or to want to undermine me. I mean, yes, it would be nice to have good things said, but in the absence of that, that's power! I say: use it.

[Northern Natterer]

I'm always thinking people are talking about me even ones I know. It's hard to block it out at times and I think the more wound up you are the harder it is to ignore but my only advice is to try some distraction techniques to stop you thinking this when it happens. Easier said than done though, I know.

[Utopia]

Honestly this may be an aspect of human nature. Simply looking anxious makes you a target. Anyone not behaving completely 'normal' makes you a target of abuse. I often hear peole talking negatively about others, and regardless if it is about me or not it depresses me that people are so horrible and can't just understand that people are not all the same.

[Oddity]

It does bother me a bit, but the staring is the biggest problem for me. I probably bring it on myself. I've managed to massively reduce my paranoia by doing checks to make sure people aren't really staring at me, but as was mentioned before, if they really are staring it ruins my day/week/month.

A day where no-one notices me at all is a good day.