Were you shy as a child?

[Kirstie]

Not stand offishness but arrogance. I've been called arrogant so many times, particularly when younger, and it is the last thing that I am. I think it was because people assumed I was quietly confident. I was also accused of 'dumb insolence' a lot. I was just mulling things over internally and not expressing an outward opinion. I only do that after a lot of thought.

 

[asterix]

..but I dpn't know much about football

 

[summerdays]

Its made me think that perhaps you can be mildly autistic/aspergers without even knowing it. Does that make sense.

It isn't a black or white, you have it or not, it's a spectrum condition - probably those that get diagnosed are those whose lives are most disrupted in some way by it.

I don't think I'm a shy retiring sort of person when I'm with a group of friends or family when I feel comfortable with ... then I suspect most of them would say I'm quite chatty ... but new people ... unless I can find a shield to hide behind such as my work persona face ... but I get very nervous when I'm thrown out of my normal working environment.

It's nice when you do find that common ground to talk to a stranger about ...and I guess on here we all have cycling in some form or another that allows us to start conversations and the fact that we hide behind our internet persona. I've often wondered what some of the people on here are like ... and if they are the same in real life as their forum life!

 

[BrumJim]

Painfully shy as a child. My Mum didn't worry that much as she was like that too at my age. According to her.

Problem was that most kids at school took this as arrogance (well, was a bit full of myself with regard to ability), which didn't help. At all.


And like my Mum, no one would call me shy now. Unless I've had a few, in which case I go all quiet and scared to talk to people I don't know.

 

[Arch]

Very shy as a child, myself.

Now, I'm a mixture. I can strike up a conversation with a stranger, if something prompts it, and frequently smile and nod at strangers when I'm working on the streets (hang on, that sounds dodgy - remember I collect recycling at the kerbside...) But I absolutely hate asking for things in shops, or phoning anywhere with an enquiry. I will walk all round a shop looking before I ask where something is. I much prefer email as a communication. I'm fine with making a presentation or giving a talk, as long as I know my subject. That's a sort of perfomance, and I enjoy it.

Strangely, although shy with strangers, I've always been an inveterate chatterbox in the company of people I know.

<checks postcount>

 

[Arch]

Oh, and I find eye contact difficult - at least it doesn't come naturally. And after prolonged time in company, I do find myself craving time alone.

However, as someone posted above, I don't like utter silence. The radio or telly is always on.

 

[Noodley]

Oh, and I find eye contact difficult - at least it doesn't come naturally. And after prolonged time in company, I do find myself craving time alone.

However, as someone posted above, I don't like utter silence. The radio or telly is always on.

what if someone looked into your eyes and muttered 'phwoaar'...?

 

[theclaud]

I suspect that most people are more shy than they would admit but women have common subjects they can discuss to break the ice

Kittens n stuff, is it?

 

[Globalti]

Tsk. What I was failing to convey was the idea that while women will chat about just about anything under the sun, men generally fear revealing too much about themselves and almost universally fall back on the safe, relatively neutral ground of ball sports banter.

 

[Arch]

what if someone looked into your eyes and muttered 'phwoaar'...?

I'd assume they had a squint, and I was standing in front of a really nice bike....

 

[Night Train]

The older I get the more I withdraw.

"Coming along this evening?"
"Who else is coming?"
"There's him and her and him and him and them and her and him and her and them... You like them, we all met the other week"
[to myself... "that's just toooo many"] [Out loud]: "Sorry, I am busy, would have been nice though"

I avoid crowds in similar ways, or I used to. Now I just say that it is too crowded and I wouldn't cope. If it is an important gatering then I will offer to show up, spend a bit of time with the host and maybe one or two others and then leave. I can't do the 'five people standing together, all in conversation together, all taking about nothing in particular'.

I will talk to one person only at a time, or I will follow the conversation between two people but not talk myself, or get totally confused and stressed with three or more talking. Then I just want to get out and away.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Kittens n stuff, is it?

And cooking, ironing, you know the sort of thing..

 

[iAmiAdam]

I'm confident if I'm purposely meeting someone new, e.g new people in college. But I keep myself to myself and wouldn't go out of my way to strike up a conversation with someone I didn't know.

 

[XmisterIS]

Once I urinated into my shoe.

 

[cyberknight]

Yes.

I was ok till i was 10 then my mother died and i have had problems with social interaction and trust ever since, i probably should have seen a shrink many years ago .