I am not claustrophobic… Well, maybe a little. I love my personal space. Even sometimes with my kids I am like, back up child. I need a little space right now. I do love cuddling too but sometimes you just need space… In saying that, I dread getting into elevators with people.
I would rather walk 20 flights up (both ways in the snow barefoot), then get in a elevator with strangers. Even if I sort of know you, making small talk while being in an enclosed space gives me anxiety. At work every day, I take the four flights up and the four flights down. The only time I take an elevator is if I am with my family or if I really don’t have any other option. I just don’t like being stuck in a box with random people. It’s not like I can’t go in a elevator, it’s just uncomfortable for me and I would rather not put myself in that position…
What about you? Is there anything you try to avoid as much as possible?
I used to avoid public restrooms at all costs. Some days I would work 13 hour shifts and I would not use the bathroom all day bc I couldn’t bring myself to use it. I rather hold it until I got home. My doctor would be upset with me bc that is not good for you. However, when I became pregnant, I couldn’t hold it so I faced my anxiety and fear of getting a disease and used a public restroom.
Parallel parking! I’d rather park normally and walk 10 blocks than do a parallel park. I’ll only do it if there are other people in the car with me, but I’m convinced I’ll hit something when I do it and I’m so anxious the whole time!
I understand the elevator situation. I always go into one and spend time fiddling with stuff in my bag, in the hope that people see me busy and leave me alone 😆. But I also avoid elevators as I’m a little scared of being inside, I imagine either the lift getting stuck or be trapped in the doors.
Many people think maintaing our personal space is very weird but, it is really necessary to explore and calm yourself down!
This post really made me laugh haha it encapsulates exactly what I think about when I get into an elevator and see other people in there! The personal space thing is a big factor for me when I think about taking the stairs vs elevator
I used to be like that with lifts, but more because of the doors than the space! I forced myself to get used to them though so not too bad. I also used to avoid public bathrooms like the plague as I had really bad bathroom anxiety, but having to use a rock as my toilet whilst on a mountain trek fixed that pretty quickly haha!