“Don’t worry nobody is looking at you in the gym”
Every time I mention my social anxiety and gym anxiety, people laugh and say “don’t worry, I promise nobody cares, and nobody looks at you.”
This is objectively untrue. I don’t think others realize how many people are “people-watchers” and will proudly admit that to me. As soon as someone tells me they are a people-watcher, I feel immediately anxious. I sit up straight so they don’t notice the rolls around my stomach, keep my head tilted up to minimize my double chin, and constantly look around to see if anyone is looking at me. And I become more and more intimidated in conversations with others because these self-identified “people watchers” often are very observant in conversations and will remember if I stutter or mispronounce words, or if I talk too loudly. Some will even make fun of me.
This is even more frustrating in a gym environment. I used to force myself to go to the gym, and I’m supposed to believe that people don’t look at me at the gym when 1) people wait on me to use machines, 2) people come up and correct my form, and 3) people make snarky comments like “you have about as much coordination as _________” or “you’re exactly the kind of person that needs to go to the gym.” Eventually, it got so bad that I would get sick to my stomach, and I had to stop going.
I’m not saying people-watchers are bad people. I’m just saying that I wish people would stop lying to me and telling me that nobody cares and that nobody is watching. Because people are watching, and they will bully you and judge you.
This could also be a byproduct of me being unable to interpret humor and social cues. I am neurodivergent, so that could be the case. Does anybody else have this experience?