What would you think?

[Buttons4me]

I'm hoping I'm not being unreasonable posting here. I've just had my 7th session of cbt for Anxiety/social anxiety. My belief is very very strong that I shake eating and drinking with everybody apart from my children and my mother. I believe that people see that there is something wrong with me and wonder why I am shaking and see me in a negative way. If you seen me shaking whilst having a cup of tea or some soup etc. What would you immediately think of me as a person? If we were friends and you knew me would you question why id be shaking especially as we were friends. Would you question the fact of being friends and expect that i should be comfortable and not nervous?

I probably wouldn't notice, but eating noises give me unreasonable rage so I tune out to anyone eating or drinking around me. If I did notice it wouldn't register as anything.

It's hard when you know though, I have a stammer that I've worked for years on and think everyone notices it and thinks I'm stupid. Actually most people don't notice at all and are genuinely surprised if I say I have one but I'm so conscious of it.

I think it might not be as obvious to other people as you think. We feel these things intensely but they are not always obvious to others.

If you think it is obvious why not just put it out there? If you are having tea with a trusted friend just say you are feeling anxious / shaky and could they please just keep chatting until the feeling passes. This sometimes helps as you have acknowledged the feeling and it allows you to relax and take back control and the feeling will pass.

If I even noticed then I'd probably take a second glance to make sure you weren't in immediate danger (dropping something or with someone who you seemed afraid of) then go back to whatever I was doing. I wouldn't assume anything particularly though, there are lots of reasons someone might be shaking or shivering.

I have anxiety and Fibromyalgia and often get tremors and shakes in my hands so my coffee cup can jump about all over the place and I've stabbed myself with scissors more times than I care to count. Nobody has asked me about it yet so I assume they just don't notice!

I work with someone who I've noticed shakes, the first time I noticed I just thought she maybe suffered from some medical or neurological condition. I've never mentioned it to her and rarely even notice it any more (working together 4 years). Now you've made me think, maybe she suffers from anxiety? That had never occurred to me.