Today, I realized just how shy and awkward I really am when I averted my eyes to avoid making eye contact with someone who turned out to be a cardboard cut-out. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, I was at the mall in a store looking at movie posters. I turned around and suddenly saw a creepy guy smiling at me, holding his arms out wide. I screamed, "Holy shit!" really loudly, causing everyone to stop and stare at me funny. Then I realized the creepy man was a cardboard cutout. FML
Today, I realized at the train station that every day for a month, I've been waving to a cardboard cut-out of a person in the morning. I thought they were real. They're cardboard. FML
Today, I realized just how bad my problem with making eye contact is, when I caught myself looking the other way when the singer in a music video looked directly at the camera. FML
Today, I was in the gas station and I saw this creepy lady staring at me and smiling. She just didn't stop. I even gave an awkward wave to let her know that I saw her staring at me. Finally I decided to confront the woman, turns out the overly happy woman was a cardboard cut out FML
Today, I realized how truly insecure I really am when the guy in the show I was watching looked straight into the camera and I immediately looked away. FML
Today, I was out shopping with my friends when I saw my ex. I instinctively tried to hide by quickly turning around and walking into a store. It was a mirror. I walked straight into my own reflection. FML
Today, I went to a grocery store after work, exhausted. I nodded politely at a woman who smiled at me repeatedly. I realized at checkout she thought I was someone she knew. I nodded through a full conversation without knowing who I was pretending to be. FML
Today, I met a girl who was just as socially anxious as me. We spent the whole night staring at each other, then quickly looking away when the other person saw. FML
Today, I was trying to flirt with someone in a small bar. I thought they'd smiled at me, so I smiled back. Turns out, they were smiling at their phone screen. I just awkwardly sat there, smiling into the void. FML
Today, I was at work at an office store. I was instructed to put together several tape-free cardboard boxes. I then realized that I can disassemble and reassemble a computer with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back, but I was outsmarted by a cardboard box. FML
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Top comments
Tripartita 45
Uh, that's actually how you avoid getting trapped in the cardboard cutout, so I don't get the FML. After the cardboard cutout uprising, the only humans left will be the socially awkward.
Tomato_Cheese 22
As someone who spent years with severe social anxiety, I feel your pain OP.
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Comments (32)
totallynotemily 25
I hate cardboard cutouts of people to begin with. You can never tel if they are a real person at first.
Tomato_Cheese 22
As someone who spent years with severe social anxiety, I feel your pain OP.
arano 29
Can't let yourself be that way, OP. Meeting new people can be easy if you let it.
mfmylifesrsly 30
If you have social anxiety it's not "easy if you let it" as it is a mental disorder that OP cannot control. That being said meeting new people does help but saying it's easy if you let it is ignorant.
badassmf1234 22
That is so ignorant
AceGthebest 16
Oh sure, once you get over the ensuing panic attack I'm sure it's just a piece of cake. #3
arano 29
What's ignorant is giving an excuse to something you can control. Last time I checked, you control your bodily functions. Not the other way around. If you don't want to have a panic attack, then chill the **** out, take some deep breaths, and do what you need to do. Letting yourself become engulfed by your own emotions is stupid. It's simple psychology.
domolovesyoshi 33
If it was simple psychology then their would be no one in therapy. I'm afraid I can't control my emotions because I'm not always me when they arise, also my panic attacks are induced by a feeling of loss of control (different personality taking over for example) so I'm afraid that chilling the **** out and breathing deeply just will not help, dear. Maybe you should develop a little thing called empathy and stop being so fricken ignorant of how mental illness works, when it comes to psychology their is no such thing as SIMPLE.
cheeeksss 29
I can't stand how you think you know what you are talking about. If you have not experienced social anxiety, you need to educate yourself. We can't control our "bodily functions" as much as you can't control your ignorance.
arano 29
I struggled with social anxiety for years myself, so don't act like I haven't experienced it. I used to not even be able to call the pizza place and order. It sucks, yeah, but you have to know in your mind that you are in control. It's your brain, your thoughts, your emotions. We are all people and there shouldn't be any reason to feel "loss of control." You are in control, you just have to realize that. It's not going to happen overnight, but you sure as hell don't need therapy for it. Just reassurance.
olliebush123 15
That's alright I think they might of been a bit stiff with you anyways
Tripartita 45
Uh, that's actually how you avoid getting trapped in the cardboard cutout, so I don't get the FML. After the cardboard cutout uprising, the only humans left will be the socially awkward.
SirVoldemort 17
So you are saying that cardboard cutouts is like a reversed Weeping Angel? That sucks.. You can't blink but you can't look either.
StiffPvtParts 43
I have the same problem, but for me, it's with mannequins. There's this clothing store in my town and they sometimes like to bring their mannequins outside... and... it always freaks me the f**k out. Anyway, I know how much it sucks, OP. ( ._.)
Lalala579121 28
I don't blame you. Mannequins are scary as shit.
StiffPvtParts 43
I always try to avoid looking. directly at them because they look far too similar to real people and that's just what I'm usued to doing whenever I see actual people xD
Lalala579121 28
I try to avoid looking at them because I know that if I make eye contact, they'll start following me wherever I go.
CoolGuySoFly 11
Best thing to do is to start talking to more people. It's a lot of fun when you get over the shyness. On top of that the Lady friends are also nice. :)
Lalala579121 28
OP is a lady, so based on statistics she probably doesn't want "lady friends".
CoolGuySoFly 11
Guy friends?
Lady_Spaghetti 36
Yikes, OP. At least you didn't try talking to it.
ThrottleJockey 36
I can't blame you OP. I once started a staring contest with one of those bastards. I went blind after the third month, but I can still see his smug smile in my head.
jp_boards 20
I've done that.