Do you try and hide from people?

[BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation]

I've done this since I was a kid and can remember trying to hide from my parents by going underneath the dining table.

If someone comes upstairs and I'm in the en suite hanging up drying, I get this weird feeling and a sudden urge to hide from whoever is coming upstairs. It doesn't feel like fear as I'm not frightened of anyone, just a real primal urge.

I do the same if someone knocks on the front door and have been known to run away or hide behind the sofa or downstairs loo when the door goes 🤦‍♀️ I even did it at work once 😮

Yes, I can relate to this. Hiding under the table or in a cupboard as a child. Going upstairs to wait until the person knocking the door has buggered off.

I also 'hide' when I see someone I know when I'm in the supermarket or out anywhere else, simply because I'm at that place for a reason, not to pass the time of day, which I do so badly anyway as small talk is of zero interest.

I've also gone to great lengths to avoid people at work, which thankfully isn't a problem now with working from home.

I've also hid in the garden shed to avoid talking to neighbours

Yes! Didn’t realise it was a thing!

Yes - in two ways.

Firstly, if we have a tradesperson in the house I will do all I can to avoid coming face-to-face with them - I'll go into my bedroom and let my husband deal with them.

Secondly, like you say, I sometimes have a random urge to hide. Usually if my husband has been out and I hear him come in, I will hide e.g. behind the sofa of the room I'm in. I'll emerge soon after, leading to a 'where were you?' conversation in which I tend to shrug and play dumb. I have absolutely no idea why I do this.

I used to do this as a child - when a favourite TV show was about to start, when relatives came to visit, at playtimes at nursery and schools I used to find somewhere isolated from others so I could play by myself. I still hide away a lot, but when I feel forced in to conversation I have a habit of oversharing.

Hiding in cupboards as a child, behind heavy curtains was my safe place and I still go there mentally. When stressed I mentally go into my loft eve cupboard.

I'm neurotypical, but I 100% do this. One of my worst case scenarios is being in the staffroom on my own, and hearing someone else come up the stairs, and not knowing whether they're going to go into the toilet, or come into the staffroom. If I hear them go into the toilet then I'll take the opportunity to grab my stuff and leap out of the room.

In fact, even though I'd rather be by myself, I actually prefer it when someone else is already in the staffroom, because that way no one ELSE can come in and "discover" me on my own!

Ps like I said, I am NT, but I obviously do have some degree of social anxiety. I spend an absolutely inordinate amount of time and energy worrying about various staffroom scenarios.

I am scared of helicopters. If I am out on a walk and one is going past I have a strong urge to hide so I cannot be seen. If it is low flying I do hide. I don’t know why. It feels like they might be looking for me. It’s odd, I have mover told anyone this before!

I hid in a cupboard in my parents house because a friend from their Church showed up at their house unexpectedly and I didn't want to speak to them.

I wasn't a child when this happened. I was in my 20s 😂

I always have an instinct to flee if I see someone in a public place that I know in another context.

It’s about my birthday. Offended if people don’t call me to say happy birthday, panicky of they do.

Bugger me…

I hid under my bed at my own birthday party. I've recently bought a door curtain and a ring doorbell so that I can close the curtain and no one can see in but I can see out via the doorbell if need be. We have a town house and the living room is upstairs so I like to hide up there. I'd like to live in the middle of nowhere really. With dc and cats.

I hid from the window cleaner today.

We used to have huge old wardrobes and massive linen chests and I used to love to hide in these. One of my sisters inherited the old chest that was in the upstairs landing - don't think I could fit now (maybe at a squeeze).

Another one who hides from the window cleaner. And helicopters. I mean logically they're just flying over and have no interest in me, but I still have the urge to dive into the nearest Bush.
I have the smallest bedroom in the house, the kids have the larger rooms. I say this is because they have more stuff, but actually it's because I like to hide in a small enclosed room.

Oh my goodness, this is me!

I hate, hate seeing colleagues outside of my office. I become anxious as to whether to say hi, smile or do nothing. I bring my lunch to work so rarely go out. If I did buy lunch I would do so on my way in.

I also hate seeing people twice, for example bumping into someone in a supermarket then seeing them in another aisle. I have on occasion left a shop after seeing someone for fear of bumping into them a second time.

When workmen have been in, I only pop out to give them refreshments.

I also run back in house when neighbour comes out to avoid the small talk. In the summer I try to navigate when to hang out the washing undisturbed.