My trouble with accepting compliments has always been that I can't imagine that what's being said about me is true, not whether or not the person complimenting me has an ulterior motive. These days, it's easier not to be embarrassed right away, so I accept compliments better when they're given. But I sometimes feel bad later, wondering if the person was just being nice or if they really were mistaken about me. If I think they were mistaken, I feel like a faker who might one day be discovered, causing people to be angry when they realize the truth.
I think this kind of thing goes hand-in-hand with my reaction of fear when someone is expressing sympathy and other ways in which I don't interpret people very well. My above statement may make it seem as though I feel really bad about myself, but that's not accurate. I do think I'm good at some things and that I'm a decent person, unless I'm in a bad mood. Then I think I'm awful, of course. But even when I'm in a good mood, I can find people's attention disturbing. I'm just more likely to feel it after the fact now, instead of in the moment. I've had times when I've been really entertaining and funny, making people laugh and everything, enjoying every minute of it myself, and then I've felt really strange and vulnerable afterwards. It's sort of creepy.
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