Cannot think when under pressure or on the spot.

[Allegory]

I can't remember anything either.
Even things I obviously know like the date or math.. And I don't get why I constantly get shoved into situations where people put me on the spot or something.. No wonder I avoid people.

[QueenEnna]

So true. I was talking to a teacher at my school one time, when a guy came up to her and asked her where a certain classroom was. Because the classroom happened to be my homeroom, she deflected the question to me, and all I did was stand there and say, "I don't know."
And so she asked me, "Isn't it your homeroom classroom?"
And I said, "Umm, yeah. It's in, uh, that way," and pointed in the general direction of the room.
Then she gave him instructions herself, and when she was done she turned to me for confirmation, so I nodded dumbly, and he left. Then she looked at me like, what just happened?, and I mumbled something about, "I have issues," and walked away.
It was awful.

[Hopeful25]

I feel the same way a lot. When I'm on the spot or when my anxiety creeps up that distracts me and I lose focus so I look slow to whoever I'm talking to (or at least I used to, back when I had SA but didn't know it..). I was never good at public speaking so I don't see that as a big issue, but I think if you practice and get more comfortable speaking to groups of people you'll eventually get better at it. That and staying positive and confident in whatever you're speaking about

[Hopeful25]

Originally Posted by QueenEnna

So true. I was talking to a teacher at my school one time, when a guy came up to her and asked her where a certain classroom was. Because the classroom happened to be my homeroom, she deflected the question to me, and all I did was stand there and say, "I don't know."
And so she asked me, "Isn't it your homeroom classroom?"
And I said, "Umm, yeah. It's in, uh, that way," and pointed in the general direction of the room.
Then she gave him instructions herself, and when she was done she turned to me for confirmation, so I nodded dumbly, and he left. Then she looked at me like, what just happened?, and I mumbled something about, "I have issues," and walked away.
It was awful.

This happened to me all the time in high school and obliterated whatever self esteem I had left after middle school . But thinking a moment with as little importance as that is "awful" is just silly, which I now realize and is helping me get over that anxiety. You just gotta shrug it off and move on, if you don't it'll just keep happening and it'll build up and chip away at your self esteem.

[QueenEnna]

Originally Posted by Hopeful25

This happened to me all the time in high school and obliterated whatever self esteem I had left after middle school . But thinking a moment with as little importance as that is "awful" is just silly, which I now realize and is helping me get over that anxiety. You just gotta shrug it off and move on, if you don't it'll just keep happening and it'll build up and chip away at your self esteem.

I guess you're right, but the teacher I was talking to happens to be one of the people I'm actually normal around, so the fact that I went from normal to nothing in two seconds flat, and that she saw me in my true SA'd form was more of what I was focusing on at the moment. I guess it doesn't come off in the post above, though. Oops.

[OGKush]

Originally Posted by Allegory

I can't remember anything either.
Even things I obviously know like the date or math.. And I don't get why I constantly get shoved into situations where people put me on the spot or something.. No wonder I avoid people.

I think this is one of the worst things of anxiety... it somehows shuts down your ability to think when it kicks in... funny how it happens with simple questions you KNOW the answer, happened before its so lame,ive even gone completely mute for 20-30 secs, just completely blank, feel like a retard after lol...

[Jennifer Clayton]

I haaaate going blank! I will practice something over and over to say to somebody and then never say it because in that moment of time, I get so anxious I can't remember. And if I do remember, I lose all courage to say it anyway.

Really sucks! It makes it super difficult to talk to this guy I like.