Being out and about... Worse than you can imagine?

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Does anyone else experience this where while at home, you know full well what it's like when out and about because of the burnouts and being overwhelmed, but then you start questioning it... "Surely it can't be that bad?", "I'm only nipping out for 10 minutes to the shops, that's nothing".

Then you go out and wham.... you realise exactly how bad it is. The pace of the world is going a million miles per hour around you. Noise here, noise there, eye contact, people whizzing past, too many variables and random happenings. You just want to slow it all down so you can grasp it but instead, the intensity just builds until you are just fatigued, you can't even think clearly anymore and you just ache everywhere.

You just don't feel "with it" anymore and even making sure there's no traffic so you can cross the road is an exhausting chore. Literally this overwhelming sensation and burnout can even affect your ability to judge when it's safe to cross. It becomes difficult to see a car approaching and know there's time to cross, instead you just can't process it, whether there will be enough time, so you just have to wait until the signal box indicates to cross or there is absolutely no traffic approaching at all.

You then come back home totally overwhelmed for the day and disheartened as to why something so damn simple as nipping out for 10 minutes to go the shop has resulted in pure exhaustion and it's a reminder of how things will just never be "normal".

That's why when I go out I have to limit the number of things I do on one outing. One is best, two is Ok, three is starting to wear me thin. I am learning to be happy with doing things like this but it can be frustrating when there's a lot to do.

It depends on what time of the day it is. If it's morning I'm more in the mood to go out and can enjoy it. But as the day goes on I find public places more daunting and I stay home.

I don't have to mask much when I'm socially interacting with friends and family and colleagues, but when I'm in public, especially by myself, I feel I have to mask more. I think the invisible social rules in the street and in stores are more 'stricter' because nobody knows you and everyone has to be the same.
So I stay home, where I don't have to mask at all and where nobody can judge me, and as far as the general public is concerned I don't even exist.

I go to the supermarket first thing in the morning when there's very few people about and hardly any cars on the road. I do find it difficult crossing roads, especially near T-junctions where vehicles can be moving from three different directions, which can trigger me into a frustration/anger fit. I've worked out a route that avoids these situations but it does take longer. Worth it though to avoid coming back home stressed out.

I've not worn a mask for several weeks now and nobody has said anything. More and more people appear to be not bothering with them anymore.

If you've got countryside near you then you should try and get out, it definitely helps with mental as well as physical health. The one thing that puts me off is dogs (or more specifically dog owners who have no control over them) but I found a path recently where they are not allowed because of the sheep. Didn't see anybody the entire walk, which was bliss.

I like being out and about. I work long hours and sitting at home for a big chunk of the day makes me feel fidgety.

When out and about however I have trouble concentration on what to get in shops for example. Going out for a walk is actually quite therapeutic.