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Is it normal to imagine people watching you?

MacJS
Community Member

I keep imagining that people I'm attracted to or have respect for are always watching me. I know 100% that they aren't there but I can't help but imagine it, and the thing is I hate it.

This has been going on for months, and I haven't been able to feel like myself at home or at school anymore because of it. If it's someone I'm attracted to, then I feel like I have to act like someone better than me and has no flaws for that someone to like me. If I don't, I feel embarrassed and upset with myself. If it's someone I have respect for (like an authority) I feel like I have to act intelligent, know what I'm doing, etc. I can even imagine people that I haven't seen in years watching me. This gives me the urge to look at mirrors, cabinets, windows, doors, any place that could have someone looking through, or open space. Anything I'm doing, that someone or people are watching me and judging me, even walking around the house. I hate doing this because I feel like I'm going crazy and this is some abnormal problem that I've created in my head.

I just don't think this is normal, I've read that this could be a self-image problem but IDK.

Does anyone have a clue on what I'm doing or what this could be?

1 Reply 1

geoff
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Good Morning MacJS, a good question, when we do something we're proud of doing, we hope people have been watching us, not only to congratulate but reward us with compliments and if this doesn't happen we're disappointed that our capabilities aren't rewarded.

When, however, we aren't feeling well, either mentally or physically we believe that everyone is judging us, in what we do or can't do and how we behave or respond to a situation confronting us, so I do believe that it's a normal feeling.

It still happens when we have been able to overcome these challenges in life, simply because people look at us to see what sort of reaction we display, but staying connected to your friends/family/psych is a way you can help each other gain the confidence you need to understand one another.

Hope to hear back from you.

Geoff.