I'm worse now than what I've ever been. When I used to walk to school on my own when I was a teenager, I never got any panic attacks thinking about it. Passing people never bothered me. And when I went to college, (which was just about 2 years ago) I still never panicked. I never wondered what other people were thinking of me. Now a days, that is all I think about. Every day now, when I'm out by myself, I think that everyone around me is looking at me and judging me, or laughing at me. They might be thinking, ''whoever is that girl over there?'' or, ''I could tell she is weird'' or, ''look at the way she's standing!'' or, ''she looks a grumpy, miserable cow!''
This is why I can't cope in public any more. I keep on worrying that others are looking at me all the time, and thinking strange things about me. I don't know if it's just me being self-counscious, or if I do stand or walk in a way what makes people laugh at me. But I don't think I do. I stand perfectly still when I'm waiting for a bus or waiting in a queue somewhere. I don't wave my arms about or do anything else to catch people's attention on me, but I still feel like I am doing something strange and I don't know what. One time I even had kids, of about 12, laughing at me and delibrately coming upto me to stare then running back to their friends and laughing. They weren't doing it to no-one else. This made me feel very upset, and hasn't helped my self-esteem. And all I was doing what standing there, with nice hair, a nice handbag, nice clothes, looking all relaxed and ''cool'', waiting for a bus in the bus-station. And what do I get for being normal? I still get teased and mocked. I wouldn't mind if these kids were doing it to everyone around, but when it was just me - I take it so personally.
I wasn't even looking at them. I was just looking at what time the bus would be coming, and then at my bus timetable, and then just looking around at others around me. I was standing just like everyone else, no stimming, no pulling faces, no humming - just another ordinary person. I couldn't have stood out, even if I tried. So I don't know what made these horrible kids take the piss out of me. Each time one went upto me, I just glanced quickly at them, (still looking relaxed and not-bothered,) and I did notice it was looking at me grinning in a piss-taking way, then it ran back to it's friends. I looked away from them and pretended to just ignore them, but then another ran upto me and giggled horribly. And from the corner of my eye (I had sunglasses on too, so they couldn't see who I was looking at without turning my head), I didn't see them doing that to anyone else around.
So what the f**k was I doing wrong?????? Then everyone wonders why I don't like being out in the street on my own. And it's no good saying ''they're just kids, don't be offended by them'', because these kids wouldn't be doing it for nothing, because they weren't doing it to anyone else there. And most girls of their age can usually sense when someone's a bit weird (although I wasn't doing one thing to make me even seem weird).
Perhaps I had a sticker on my forehead saying, ''I'm weird - take the piss out of me, everyone!''