depth wrote:
I worry about what people think of me, in particular if they hate me because of my annoying ways.
I worry about that too. I think I'm losing work because of this. But sometimes it's comforting to think that people will only spend so much energy trying to hide their true feelings--so if you think someone dislikes you, try talking to them, and see if they start to get annoyed or not.
I did that with a coworker the other day, I deliberately said something self-depricating to see if she'd disagree. I said "I don't know if I should take on more design gigs--I enjoy the work, but all the communication with people is stressful." and she said "Yeah, you're probably right." Whereas if she were really sympathetic, she would have said that that's just something to work on, since I'm new at work.
Also, I could just see her friendly demeanour being replaced by weariness in the course of 15 minutes, in the tone of voice, facial expressions, etc.