Are you ashamed of your triggers and how you manage them?

My main triggers are certain noises or smells made by humans, and people who don't respect my boundaries. Usually it's not a problem because usually I can get away, or ask them to stop and they will. But if I can't get away from it then I don't know what to do, because the types of people who usually are my triggers are my mother (she's mentally unstable and can't be reasoned with) and mentally disabled people. I'm afraid that most people who see me trying to minimize contact with my mom and the rest will hate me and think of me as a cold-hearted brat. Having an anxiety disorder doesn't sound like a good excuse because it's a mild disorder, and the people I need to avoid might have far more serious conditions, so I'm a rotten person for avoiding them.

I also live alone, because I can't handle living with other people except a VERY select few individuals I'm close with. I'm afraid people will hate my guts for that too, because I have so much space and time to myself that I don't deserve. (Where I live, most people my age have kids, and many are single parents.)

I also have to eat at least three times a day minimum or I get dizzy and sick and can't function. I know three meals a day is supposedly the norm, but it seems a lot of people I know can go an entire day and only eat once and think nothing of it, and I'm embarrassed and ashamed when I'm spending the day why people and I have to ask when we're eating lunch or dinner or something.

Basically my anxiety is easy to manage, but I'm afraid that if anyone finds out they'll scream at me for being such a prissy selfish brat.

Anyone else ashamed or embarrassed about their triggers and how they manage?

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Originally Posted by HookTheCodfish

My main triggers are certain noises or smells made by humans, and people who don't respect my boundaries. Usually it's not a problem because usually I can get away, or ask them to stop and they will. But if I can't get away from it then I don't know what to do, because the types of people who usually are my triggers are my mother (she's mentally unstable and can't be reasoned with) and mentally disabled people. I'm afraid that most people who see me trying to minimize contact with my mom and the rest will hate me and think of me as a cold-hearted brat. Having an anxiety disorder doesn't sound like a good excuse because it's a mild disorder, and the people I need to avoid might have far more serious conditions, so I'm a rotten person for avoiding them.

I also live alone, because I can't handle living with other people except a VERY select few individuals I'm close with. I'm afraid people will hate my guts for that too, because I have so much space and time to myself that I don't deserve. (Where I live, most people my age have kids, and many are single parents.)

I also have to eat at least three times a day minimum or I get dizzy and sick and can't function. I know three meals a day is supposedly the norm, but it seems a lot of people I know can go an entire day and only eat once and think nothing of it, and I'm embarrassed and ashamed when I'm spending the day why people and I have to ask when we're eating lunch or dinner or something.

Basically my anxiety is easy to manage, but I'm afraid that if anyone finds out they'll scream at me for being such a prissy selfish brat.

Anyone else ashamed or embarrassed about their triggers and how they manage?

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Ashamed...maybe when in new situations.....but my REAL friends understand me and except me for who I am, They actually recognized how bad my anxiety was and had an intervention with me to get help, anyone else really does not matter. So really most of the time I am not ashamed. I did as you do, limited my time with others and preferred to be alone..but as time goes on I venture out and expose myself to more and more outside contact. I have developed a little chant I do in my head i say over and over in new situations..." nobody lived, nobody died" in other words I tried something new and it was no big deal "nobody lived nobody died" Its my way of trying not to blow things out of proportion.

Not when it comes to idiots that won't respect a physical boundary. My office has 2 chairs on the opposite side of my desk. There are some who insist on trying to come around the desk and stand behind me when I am looking something up on the computer. The worst are the ones who try and use my phone. I keep my phone behind me so others cannot use it and spread their pathogens all over it.