You know you're AvPD when...

Yeah answering the door is awful. I get most of the stuff I need online to minimize contact with people, then I'll usually ask someone else to answer the door. If no one else is home, I will literally not answer the door and just wait until they put their card down in the porch and then leave. They once again I will ask someone else to go pick it up at the post office lol.

My AVPD got so much better over the years, I forgotten what it was like to feel so bad about answering the door...

When you can't answer the phone or make phone calls

When you bail right before a shift at work, or an interview

When you have something to say but you always keep it to yourself

When you avoid ordering your own food or talking to the cashier wherever possible


When the only person you talk to for days at a time is your partner, and maybe your mum

When you want to exercise but are too self-conscious to run in public


When you don't realise that you do these things, and others, until you saw this thread.

-- Tue Jun 16, 2015 7:03 pm --

When you avoid leaving your room if your housemates are around

When you are convinced your housemates hate you because you never talk to them (I dont know HOW!)

When you attend parties because you are desperately lonely and desire genuine human connection, only to spend the whole night not speaking to anybody and leaving feeling completely disappointed and socially inept, as usual

When you make plans with friends (once or twice a year) only to cancel at the last minute for no reason

When you eat at your desk at work because you dont know what to say to your colleages

The relief.

^
Yes, that is the best!

Some of these have already been said but relate to them so much I will repeat them.

You know your AvPD when...

Interviews are impossible to master because talking about yourself makes you more nervous than forcing yourself to have a conversation with a stranger.

You won't make an appointment with your doctor unless you are absolutely dying and when you do you get nervous to tell the assistant what the appointment is for so you just say prescription refill to avoid conversing.

You have never returned anything in your life. It doesn't matter if you have to throw it out because wasted money is better than having to explain to someone why you aren't satisfied with what you have. When you have tried you end up making up some excuse at to why you will still use it anyways that the whole or stain or rip isn't that noticeable even though it is extremely noticeable and you will throw it out anyways.

When you constantly think that when coworkers talk it's about you and how socially awkward you are and how they wish that you would suck at your job so they could just fire you already.

When you think your coworkers pay attention to everything you where and think they are constantly over analyzing everything you wear.

When you make a common mistake that anyone could of made you think that finally they have enough to fire you when in reality they REALLY don't want to train someone else to do your job because that would be above their pay grade and it doesn't matter how many times you make mistakes it isn't worth it to them to replace you.

When you get called into the managers office and you have no idea what they want to talk about. Even if you do you run every bad scenario through your mind how that is only the excuse to get you in there so you don't worry you but they secretly want to fire you or want to confront you on how horrible you are doing and that no one likes you.

When you have severe anxiety about having to call and book any appointment or cancel any appointment. Cancelling causes so much anxiety because you worry that they think you don't like them or know that you are just avoiding human contact. When in reality they are probably either super happy they get to go home early or they get to take a break.

When you are super paranoid about making any mistakes at work no matter how small they are to avoid any confrontation about how awful you are because you already think every one thinks you are an awful employee and they don't don't like you.

You won't go to a therapist because that will involve conversing which will cause more anxiety then they can actually help you with.

You avoid anything in general that could cause any form of anxiety, which in return causes anxiety because you can't stop thinking if it be worth it cause anxiety for any benefit but will also chose not to bother because there is nothing really worth causing anxiety but you stress about it anyways before coming to that conclusion.

When your phone is ringing and it says unknown caller you automatically think it's someone who could cause the most anxiety possible for you. Someone that is going to ask you questions about something you don't want to talk about or don't know how to answer. So while thinking about all the worst case scenarios you end up missing the call. You usually get someone else to call them back to see who it is or if they left a voicemail you realize it was really nothing to stress over ei wrong number, or a family member or friend calling from someone else's phone. Then you realize you ended up causing yourself more anxiety not answering it then you would have if you were normal human being and just answered it.

When you had no idea that you had AvPD because you avoided the thought of having any issues because it would have caused you more anxiety to think of how much you avoid anxiety.

You when order from a restaurant or fast food restaurant but wont ask for any exceptions to your order you want to avoid any more conversing then you need with them. So you could be deathly allergic to eating onions but wont ask for them to make it without onions or have so much anxiety when you do ask that you never ask again.

When someone comes to the door and you aren't expecting anyone it's ten times worse then when an unknown number is calling you because you can't avoid once you answer. You have anxiety about not answering too because you think what if they know I am home and know I am not busy. You wonder why they didn't call first and maybe even want to lash out because they didn't. Then it ends up being a neighbor that doesn't even have your phone number.

when the process of getting to know people wears you out. It feels like repeating a broken record, being in a job interview, writing a resume and revealing myself in front of a huge Big Brother judging eye.

when you long for human intimacy and a loving relationship but you can't act upon it because attachment means pain and suffering to you.You will drive people away anyway, either by being too dependent or too distant so you just push them away and shut them down before they reject you.

Having posted more than 10 times feels like an accomplishment.

Unsocial Butterfly wrote:Having posted more than 10 times feels like an accomplishment.

It is. You have conquered your fear of posting online. Now, it's time to move onto something more challenging.

Auxiliary11 wrote:

The relief.

Omg, yes. hahahah I feel so guilty about it, though!