Normal stuff you wish you could do

[Darkdiamond]

Mine is wear jeans. I have the flattest, most rectangular shaped bottom and every pair of jeans (or any trousers actually) I have ever tried on look horrendous from behind. I have found jeans that look good everywhere but when I turn around its a different story. I just could not feel confident in jeans unless I jave a long top on over the top. I would love nothing more than to just throw on a t shirt and jeans because I just love that look but it looks awful!

The second is drive anywhere beyond my few tried and tested routes. I have been driving the same few routes for years and I cannot deviate from them. When I try its like I have been punched in the face: I can't think properly, all of the signs completely overwhelm me, I become so anxious my heart hammers in my chest and I make really rash and dangerous decisions out of panic. I go into immediate flight, fright or freeze mode and it feels like I am being made to.solve a really difficult calculation while someone is hitting me around the face. When I try to push myself out of my comfort zone (and I have) it usually results in people beeping at me and me pulling over to burst into tears. My tried and tested routes are completely fine and I am safe, careful and attentive on the road.

Anyway, those are two regular, run of the mill things that I feel like I cannot do.

What are yours?

For the first one, could you incorporate squats into your daily routine at all? Would make a big difference!
the second one is not as easy to overcome. I can sympathise, as I found driving much more difficult than all my friends who passed as teenagers. I didn’t pass until my 30’s and as a result was much like you described. Could you maybe get a course of refresher lessons to build your confidence and take you around different road types?

Mine would have definitely used to have been driving but now I’m a relatively more confident driver I would say.. probably gardening (0 idea about how to turn my unruly garden into something half decent) and maths which I’ve always been shocking at!

Sleep through the night.

To not be scared of dogs :( it makes life very difficult.

Go into a bakery and buy any nice looking cake (coeliac disease)

Sing in tune

Park a car properly

Sleep through the night

Be the focus of attention/speak out loud, in a larger group setting, without going bright red.

Be able to chat to people and not have awkward silences.

Stay in bed beyond 04.30

Speak confidently without having to think what I am saying (be one of those people where they can just talk easily without thinking about it and it just all makes sense!)

Have an injection or blood test without being squeamish.

Cook! (Never comes easily to me)

One of mine would be wearing jeans too as they always just make me look and feel masculine

Have an evening out.

Sleep through the night.

Wake up later than 5am.

Drive (sight not good enough)
be confident of my ability in this case applying for jobs

Same. Have a chronic condition and wake in the night due to pain most nights .
Wear strappy dresses- Im a larger lady with a big bust and they look ridiculous on me.

I would say drive as well, like you I am a careful driver but I am just so nervous about going to new places, new routes, highways, I have never driven motorways and I just feel so trapped by it. I haven’t driven over an hour away in probably 15 years. I was going to have some lessons and then just never did, maybe I will revisit that idea for 2027.

Also sleep
But additionally : understand how Tennis is scored (it’s been explained to me but I can’t ever retain the information it seems), get hose attachments to work (they never do for me which wouldn't be a huge issue, except a huge part of my work is watering plants etc), write legibly, (after years of typing everything my hand writing is now terrible).

DIY if I could use a screwdriver or drill properly, oh the jobs I would tackle.

I think that the level of squats needed would be astounding. I also have unsightly hip dips too so a lot of the theory around building muscle is contradictory because some worsen the hip dips (apparently). I have resigned myself to never wearing jeans and feeling good about myself!

This, would dearly love to not freeze and go beetroot colour, but I do.

Dive into a pool. I'm a strong swimmer, not scared of water, but the thought of my head entering the pool first - I can't explain it but I've never been able to master it, even when attempting to learn as a child / teenager (when you're meant to be fearless?) it was a step too far.

Make my house nice. I just know I'd throw a lot of money at decorating or renovating it & I'd still be dissatisfied, I am too scared of making the wrong (£10s of thousands expensive) choices, so the logical thing is to only do maintenance work & never do anything to make the house "nice". I occasionally get an idea of some improvement but I doubt I would really like it enough or I can only see problems in implementation. It's like I lack a "nesting" gene.

Oh and sleep 7+ hours/night. That would be Glorious, too, lol.

I wish I was more relaxed in crowded places but anywhere busy makes me feel really uncomfortable. It doesn't help that I am short so I feel even more claustrophobic amongst all the giants!

Another one is that I would love to be able to wear short jeans shorts. I just wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them because I have legs a rugby player would be proud of!

@Darkdiamond did you know you can get padded pants to help with filling out jeans? You can get quite subtle ones to avoid the Kardashian look.

me too.

every pair of jeans (or any trousers actually) I have ever tried on look horrendous from behind
There are obviously very very many people who never look at their back view in the mirror OP. It's not just peoole wearing jeans or trousers that don't look good from behind. It's women and girls wearing skirts and shorts that are positively indecent from behind. No doubt a percentage do so deliberately though. I think you are being too hard on yourself for feeling self conscious about your rear view.

As for normal things I would love to do: how long have you got? I suffer from extreme social anxiety and the list of normal things I can't do is endless. Being able to go in to a cafe and have a coffee would be a start. Or go into a shop that wasn't a supermarket with self service tills.

There are jeans with lift and separate panels inside that make any behind look good- Japan pioneered them as the Asian rear is very flat.

Successfully declutter. I sort everything into piles, but never manage to throw anything out.
Speak another language. It’s not through lack of trying!

Drive

Swim

Ride a bike

Had multiple lessons for all three and still completely useless….Id be hopeless in a Tampax advert!