r/Explainlikeimscared

I joined a gym for the first time this year and it's going well. The only problem I have is when the gym is busy and there's only a certain number of weight machines. The leg extention specifically always seems to be occupied. When I get my turn it feels super rude to wait between sets. Everything I've read says I should wait a full minute or even more between sets. But I swear I can *feel* people waiting for the machine wondering why that lady is just sitting there.

Is this just in my head? I want to be curtious but also get the full benefit of my workout.

i've gotten my blood drawn quite a few times in my life. it used to be as simple as not understanding what's going on to think of your favorite video game characters going through all of their worst experiences and get through! but i'm older now and so much more filled with fear. i was exposed to a lot of shock gore growing up, and during high school i volunteered at a blood transfusion ward and it messed me up and my view of hospitals forever. i can't even look at words related to getting drawn, more or less even the word blood. i have to get it done in the next few week though, and i don't know how to cope. it's not the initial pain, it's the feeling of it during. ive used headphones, but literally i feel like i might pass put just thinking about it. i know this might sound kind of pathetic but id really appreciate help. i asked the doctor what i should do and he just kind of brushed me off, my friend and family too :c i really need kind support during this time and, if you can, please avoid certain graphic terms :c

I’m living alone for the first time, I have severe OCD and I am very anxious about letting people into my home. I am having new windows put in, which are above my desk and my bed. My questions are:
- Will maintenance cover up my things with plastic? Will the plastic have already been used? If so, would it be weird to buy my own and already have everything covered?
- How long will they be here? How loud will it be? (I will need to put my cat in the bathroom so I would like to have it prepared if she needs to be in there for many hours)

Thank you in advance!

I’ve talked to a Physiatrist about being overly stressed from work and she told me I need to take a leave of absence and provide me with a letter. I submitted the letter to HR and am trying to get through all the steps right now. Does anyone know the steps this process requires? Also does anyone know if I have to call my work and let them know or if HR will do that for me. I am afraid of my managers.

i just got in an internship and I'm kinda clueless on how everything works and I'm so scared and anxious, i asked about it to one of my close friends and he got mad and started to scold me and worry me more.

how should I approach this? I'm trying my best to keep up but I'm just so anxious as it's my first internship and I kinda lack skills as well.

how do I start living with myself without being scared? Every time I get scared I find myself listening to smoothing songs in a dark room trying to escape and forget everything but I want to move ahead in my life and tackle those things out there and learn everything step by step.

I'm F 20 and I've never had a cavity until now. I've always had really good teeth when I was little so my parents never took me to a dentist or anything so I never went through "getting over the terrors of a dentist". Life got busy and with busy I replace things in my schedule to fit other things and I guess I forgot about brushing my teeth. It wasn't like a stopper brushing all together but it was definitely not the 2 times a day. I only noticed my cavity when I started getting pain. I think I have two in my back teeth and I know I have to go to get them treated but I'm terrified of doctors and now I'm noticing im really terrified of teeth doctors. I'm going to a place that deals with kids and adults so hopefully they are gentle. What should I suspect? Does it hurt to get a tooth pulled or a cavity filled? How do I deal with the pain after? Will I be able to eat at all? I'm just really nervous about this first visit

Hi. I'm a man (48) with a classic style (shirt, dress pants and tassel loafers). My wife wants me to pierce my both ears with real diamonds (identical to those worn by women). She finds it very refined and sexy. I want to please her, but I'm a little stressed because my look is classic and my friends will be very surprised at the office. How are men with earrings diamonds perceived ? THANKS.

I have a car that broke down and I was greatful to be able to use my friends car while I waited to see if my dad could repair it. Long story short is ended up getting a new car instead and now have an extra car I need to get rid of. The engine was replaced and my dad says it runs fine but I dont know if the reason it broke down caused any further electrical issues than it already had. I do think its worth more than junking it which I had to do with my last car which was pretty straight forward. So that leaves me to either sell it on facebook or sell to a dealership. But I dont know how that would work with selling it on facebook since I dont want someone to get cheated if it doesnt run well. Or if selling to a dealership is straightforward since I always hear horror stories from dealerships and am wary of even selling to one. I get my cars from auto auctions and considered taking it back there but I know theyre process and that seemed too stressful for me as a seller. Can someone explain the process of either selling to a dealership or selling through facebook because im terrified of either and just want to pick the most straightforward non stressful option.

I don’t drink often, I’ve had hard sodas etc but very infrequently so idk what my preferences are. Also I can’t find a menu for the place online and I can’t tell if they serve anything other than beer and I’ve never had beer before :-( Place is described as a dive bar and most reviews are about the beer it also has darts pool etc.

my main questions are:

1. would it be reasonable to assume this bar has other drinks and like cocktails etc. like can you just ask them to make something and they make it or is that unusual

2. what a good like “beginners” drink to order would be… I like fruity/sweet flavors but otherwsie I have no idea

my goal is to get a drink i enjoy while also not embarrassing myself in front of my coworkers. help is appreciated! thank you!

edit: thank you all for the kind advice. I had a vodka cranberry and it was pretty good :-) for all those advising me to avoid drinking, it was for a colleague’s going away party so was very very casual, and I know that after 1 drink I’m ok so I did not have any more. I appreciate the care!

I’m 25 and I feel like I’ve spent the last few years collapsing inward mentally.

I became extremely self-aware and analytical to the point where I stopped really living life and mostly started observing myself instead. I replay conversations for years, imagine scenarios constantly, obsess over tiny social interactions, absorb people’s judgments way too deeply, and build my identity around them. If someone says something negative about me, I start feeling like it must secretly be true.

I’ve isolated myself heavily because of shame and ended up creating fake narratives about my life so people wouldn’t question what I’m doing. The truth is I’ve spent years depressed, stuck, avoiding life, and living almost entirely in my own head. I have not learned any skills to live life and earn money, make bonds etc.

I distanced myself from friends because I couldn’t tolerate being seen while also not being able to truly open up. At the same time, I still deeply crave belonging. Even small casual interactions with strangers can emotionally affect me a lot because I feel so disconnected from normal life.

I honestly just want to know if anyone else has experienced this level of self-consciousness, shame, isolation, and mental looping. It feels like I stared too deeply into myself for too long and forgot how to naturally exist.

Bro like i have this giant window in my room and if i look out of it there is like this one street and i keep hearing this sound outlide it sounds like a shouvle scraping combined with a creaking door and i aint got the suvival instincts of a rock so im NOT gonna open my window and check yall if i die this is the reason... FUNNY STORY NOW, so a couple days ago there was this homeless guy in my street and when i came home from school he was arguing in english and spanish(i dont speak spanish) with this one neighbor of mine and i didnt even look his way but he screames to me 'FUCK YOU, SUCK MY D!CK' BRO IM 13 FRKN PEDO but yea like 2 days later he was there AGAIN with 2 SCARY ahh dols and lifting them up in the air while chanting some things and the next day he was there again with CANDLES around him, my guy starting a cult or sum

I got a tiny splinter in my finger and somehow it feels way more painful and annoying than it should. I tried tweezers already, but it’s one of those tiny ones that’s barely visible and every failed attempt just pushes it deeper.

I’ve seen people recommend tape, baking soda paste, soaking it in warm water, using a needle, and like ten other methods online, so now I’m curious what actually works in real life.

What’s your go-to way to remove a stubborn splinter without turning your finger into a full DIY surgery project?

I really want to get my ears pierced (just regular lobe ones), but I have vasovagal syncope with very sensitive medical/needle triggers. Even just hearing people talk about needles can make my blood pressure drop.

All the advice I see online talks about it being ‘barely any pain’, but the pain isn’t the issue for me, I just know I’m going to pass out at seeing/feeling the needle.

Has anyone got any advice, or maybe even dealt with this themselves? I’d appreciate any kind of info.

I plan on making an appointment with a trauma specialized therapist soon, and there's an option to email her with my contact information and what I'm looking for, like a consultation, or availability. I know it's unrealistic to assume I'll click with the first therapist I meet, but I don't even know how to go about getting a therapist or knowing if they're right or wrong for me.

This feels wildly different compared to when I made my first doctor's appointment and got a PCP or the first time I went to the dentist as an adult.

I'm assuming a consultation would be needed before deciding on a therapist, but I have no idea about what is involved there. I know they'll likely ask me questions, and I would like to ask them questions, but I don't even know what to ask. I don't know what to look for or what to expect. Their profiles all include the things they're experienced with, what they help with, the types of therapy they do.

I know typically, it takes a while for people to really open up to a therapist about something traumatic. I don't feel like that's the case for me. I've bottled it up for 15+ years, I feel like if I don't talk to someone about it soon, I might explode. I don't know if that's... appropriate? Is there an appropriate timeline to finally get into the nitty gritty details about why I'm seeking out help?

Assuming I get through the consultation, the therapist ticks all the boxes for me, and I feel like I'll be comfortable with getting help from them. What do appointments look like? Do they ask questions, and I answer? Is it more like a conversation? Does it depend on the therapy? I've quite literally only seen therapy in books and movies, and I don't know how accurate that is.

I'm very much out of my element, and I feel like I don't even know where to start.

When I try to buy something from someone online or through a marketplace, I never really know how the phone call is supposed to go. what questions should I ask, how should I talk, and how can I avoid sounding awkward or inexperienced so I don’t become an easy target for scams or manipulation?

Hi, I don't have my license yet but I want to go places. I know I'm supposed to go where the bus stops are, but how do I know when the bus is supposed to get to me? Also, how do I stop at my exact location and do I pay with cash to get on? This is my first time ever wanting to use the bus.

Im trying to do some reading on them but I am frankly so terrified which is why I’m trying to get over this fear and trying to learn in the first place. I guess this could go for any other phobia-would it really just have to be exposure?

My PC is old. Potato status even. I want to say nearly 10 years at this point?

I did however put in a new SSD a few years back. Though that was with the help of a friends friend who likes Computer parts (and he kept looking down on me for not knowing more, but he did that to everyone all the time).

My knowledge is minimal, and I don't know all the terms. Most guides already presume some understanding, for which I have none.

If I can't do much now (prices be wack), I would at least like to know how to check my specs and what parts are in a PC and probably what I should focus on upgrading first.

Im going to have a knee surgery in two days, but im just really scared. Its not a dangerous surgery, but it should apparently last for like 1-2 hours, and that seems like alot. The thing im most scared of is the anesthesia. It might sound a bit stupid, but im just scared that i wont wake up, that ill.. yknow. The fact that i also horribly overthink everything doesnt help either. Im young, im healthy, i dont have any issues, addictions, etc. but even knowing this doesnt help me at all. Does anyone also have any experience with this? How do i stop being so damn scared?

Title. I have never had to break a lease before and I'm scared that it will make it impossible to find another place. I have some previous (good) rental history with roommates, but this is the only lease in which I have been the sole tenant. Will that matter when I apply somewhere else? Will I even be able to? My credit is decent, but I do not make very much income.