Friendships and social skills

My social anxiety used to be so severe I was practically mute. In my teens, talking to classmates I had known since kindergarten and even my own relatives paralyzed me with fear. Hearing things like, "Why don't you talk?" or "She isn't very friendly" only compounded my anxiety.

Over ten years after graduating and now I'm the exact opposite. I talk too much and obsessively do what I can do prevent anyone from thinking I'm anything but nice. Working in customer service and discovering alcohol initially helped me improve my conversational skills, but ultimately I've just learned how to hide my true feelings better. I can fake a smile, engage in small talk, convey my thoughts articulately and convincingly, share my sense of humor (and miraculously sometimes even make others laugh), and appear confident. Internally I still fear every person I interact with thinks of me negatively.

The rational side of my brain knows everyone says regrettable things, but more often than not, no one notices or remembers. Despite my insecurities, forcing myself to be social is unequivocally preferable to how I used to be. If I witnessed the examples you provided of someone being "weird," I wouldn't think twice. For #2 and #3, their responses were insensitive that has no bearing on you whatsoever. The other person in #4 actually sounds like the one who doesn't know how to end a conversation.

If you don't want to be disliked or excluded, are you sure you do not want any friends? Or are you just exhausted from beating yourself up over every perceived faux-pas? You need to be easier on yourself and seek help to improve your confidence.

/r/BPD Thread