DAE automatically assume new strangers do not and will not like you?

r/

Pretty much title. My mind is always telling me that every new person in my life won’t like me, so why even try becoming closer to them or approaching them? When in reality, all I want is to make new connections with people and become friends.

It’s a sick mental thing that occurs in my brain that I am trying to work on and get over. It has made me miss so much possible positive things in my life, I can’t even start to imagine where I could be now if I never suffered from this. For context, I am a 29M. I end up believing these thoughts and probably come off as a very shy loner to those people. I am curious if anyone else suffers from a similar thing and if they have conquered it somehow.

Does anyone else suffer from this?

Comments

  1. My_Uneducated_Guess Avatar

    Yep, constantly, including with people who I know and talk to every day. It sucks a lot

  2. Confident_Jump_6669 Avatar

    Yes, and it is usually true. As an autistic I have (somewhat) accepted that people dislike me without even getting to know me.

  3. SubjectQuarter1193 Avatar

    Yes I feel this way, but for a reason. I used to be outgoing and talkative, but quickly realized that a lot of people found me to be too “weird” and rejected me. I became introverted and withdrawn as a result. I’m afraid to let people in… especially when dating. I feel so vulnerable and it manifests as me going back & forth between wanting connection, and just wanting to be alone out of fear. It’s the worst, really 🙁