Afraid of eye contact? Click here for advice

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My advice for if eye contact intimidates or scares you like it does me is just look at the whole face. If you look at it as a whole you don't find it scary (I don't at least) and it looks like you are making eye contact. Try it.

but looking at a whole picture like that is scary.

That works for me. I've been doing it for years without even noticing. Usually I'll look at people's mouth.

Yeah I look at their faces. I think I do good with it.

I also prefer the mouth. Not only is it much easier to maintain contact of then the eyes, you also get to note some pretty interesting things about people's teeth

I always look at the mouth, but I generally look at the floor or at what I'm doing rather than look at people. Eye contact is physically painful.

I look out the corners of my eyes, in that cute little way.

I can't help but focus on people's mouths. Except for when I think about making eye contact, I look at the person's mouth usually when they are talking. When I'm talking, my eyes wander about, usually looking at objects and not the people.

The good thing about looking at the conversation partner's mouth is that they often don't even see where you are looking, and think that you're still making eye contact. It's worked for me so far.

I try to force myself for very short burst to look straight at people. I've gotten a lot better at it than I was but I still can't help my eyes from roaming around constantly.

Yup, that's what I do, too. I can't sustain eye contact for more than 2 seconds at most. I just have to look away.

I've found that eye contact is essential when starting a conversation with someone. Once the ball gets rolling, eye contact is not required that much anymore. That's when I do it in short bursts, every once in a while.

I find this difficult. When speaking to someone I'm unfamiliar with one-on-one, I don't know whether to look directly at them, how long to do this for, which eye to look into (I find I can't really look at both). I'll usually end up looking at them for a bit, looking down, to the side, at something else, then back at them and so on.

The other day I was asked to work in a group with people. They all seemed to know each other already, and I was trying my utmost to give eye contact but none of them would return it. They would look at each other but not me, as if they were ignoring me. It was awkward to say the least.

I'm going to try that idea. Thanks.

I tend to look at peoples mouths when I'm speaking to them if I have to focus on them rather than something I'm talking about. I find that it not only helps with avoiding eye contact but it also helps me follow what they are saying better because I lip-read a bit and I can see what they are saying as well as just listening to it.

If i'm in deep thought, or really any thought (which is in every conversation I have) I just can't look into their eyes. My eyes are wandering about, daydreaming. I just can't concentrate when I am looking in one spot. I have tweaked it a bit though, once I have an idea then I would look at them, then away once i have to think again.

Normal is letting one's gaze wander from one eye to the other to the nose and back. I try to do that, but too often end up looking away because it feels so ... aggressive to me.

I can't look into someone's eyes, it just freaks me out.. I don't know why though. Sometimes I force myself to look but after a while I always have to look away..