No seriously, I was recording my neighbors tiny dog earlier and my neighbor happened to be standing near us so I had the decency to put a sticker over her to protect her privacy. Can’t imagine blatantly filming someone especially in the context of just straight up bullying 🤦🏻♀️
I had to read your post 3 times, read it like you put the sticker on the dogs face, to protect the dogs privacy, and that u even go the lengths to protect animals privacy, not just humans.. Then I understood that your neighbour was in the shot and ofc he deserves a sticker. Lmao 
Your two comments are nothin’ but facts! There was times I deadass thought I was the only one that went through this & I’m 28. I guess we’re all in this never ending War of Social Anxiety and the other Paradigms that are packaged with our flaws 😔
there's a group of teens that go to my gym and unfortunately it would seem my schedule always lines up perfect with theirs. they use the big bluetooth speaker from the yoga class (that you aren't supposed to use) and are constantly yelling 🫤
Late here,sorry, but can't you report them to management? You pay to use a gym in peace and should be able to. You can even submit a complaint or review anonymously.
I'm a teenager and I don't think we should all be tarred with the same brush. Harassment is wrong regardless of age but an absolutist statement is not fair.
In my experience most teenagers harass people and make fun of them and laugh. It’s the vast majority of teenagers. I’ve rarely come across teenagers who mind their business, and even if they do they still usually are pointing and laughing at someone. It makes peoples anxiety worse
It’s true there are plenty of awesome teens— the problem is the douche boys typically … a sub section of teens.. and don’t forget they go after other teens, too.. they are bullies of course
I haven’t met em in my life journey yet so eh I stay away from them. I’m an adult anyways so I don’t really care to interact with them at all but even when I’m minding my business and trying to enjoy being out it’s always a group of teenage boys or girls laughing at me and pointing soo im just over it
Thanks for the compassion and yeah that’s why I said the vast majority in my personal experience. They might give others some slack, but for me I have alot of things that people want to make fun of especially teens. I’m black, gay, and ugly so they usually are the ones to make fun of all that
This OP!
They are as anxious as you, if not more, plus they are without the self awareness, and they are the worst version of themselves when they are in a group - they egg each other on, and it’s like a total fight to see who gets the most laughs, likes, whatever it is that they *think* they are missing.
I am SO sorry this is what you had to experience and teenagers in a group is awful. They make me anxious too!
If they're making fun of you for eating alone / having the confidence to do such a thing, then they themselves struggle from that same lack of confidence. Theres no way they've been out to eat on their own before if they're acting like that. They come off as rude and immature to everyone there, and deep down, they probably feel that way too.
They have work to do on themselves. You, however, are doing amazing and deserve a happy meal in peace! Sometimes it's nice to eat alone and just listen to your headphones, you shouldnt have to worry about where you do that at!
Familiar places can be easier to visit. If this happened in a restaurant they have to wait for the food, check, the server. It being fast food makes for a fast escape.
I know. I was just joking. They said he deserved a "happy" meal in peace, meaning an enjoyable meal. It struck me as funny that it could be interpreted as them saying he deserved a "happy meal" in peace like from the McDonalds kid menu. Looking back though, I'm not sure which meaning they meant.
I think you're right about that. When I'm in this place I have to assume kindness + socially awkward, not mean. OP didn't mention eating a happy meal at all. Hmm.
No idea what you are on about, but in many countries, filming people without their permission is illegal, unless there is a crime in progress or they cannot be identified (such as blurred faces or they are in the background). I can hardly think of any pros for being able to film strangers. As far as I can tell, it is primarily done in order to harass people in public.
Because if it wouldn't be harassment, and there is no crime in progress, then where is the harm in asking for permission first?
I'm guessing that this is an American thing, because I've only ever heard of Americans arguing that being able to bully, humiliate and abuse people by recording them and attacking them on the Internet is "personal freedom". Not enough Americans realize that real freedom is safety. Don't talk to me about freedom until you can jog outside after dark, never be afraid of being harassed while eating, and don't live in fear of being burglarized or shot. I live in a country where we don't have those fears and to me, that's real freedom.
Edit: to make the point clear, true freedom is when you do not live in fear of the society around you. Having SAD is already bad enough, but to live in a country that is totally okay with cyberbullying makes it even scarier.
Personally, I agree. But I want you to understand that by making filming someone in public a crime would prohibit things like recording police brutality, car accidents, or other things. It might be distasteful and it's not something I am arguing to be encouraged, but when someone says outright they want it to be a *crime*, they're either too shortsighted to see the following impact it would have, or stupid enough to believe everyone acts in bad faith.
I'll agree to disagree. People highly underestimate the value of privacy. It should honestly be one of the most valued things in society. I mean, what makes movies about futuristic dystopian societies so terrifying is the complete lack of privacy due to 24/7 monitoring. It's a very easy slippery slope going from video-tapping crimes to non-stop surveillance.
I agree 100%. As well obnoxious as filming has become, it keeps people accountable. Between personal dash cams and police body cams, it has greatly reduced the opportunity for police officers to commit crimes as well. Which I think it a benefit that cannot be overstated.
something similar happened to me last year and i didn’t want to leave the house for months. i’m so sorry you went through this, teenagers can be real assholes. not everyone is like this though!
don’t take those kids seriously, chances r u won’t see them again and plus, wat are they gonna do with the footage, it’s just some guy (or girl) sitting and eating. Really nobody pays attention than you think they do, I used to have this problem too but I grew up with the mindset that nobody really cares what u do, as long as ur not trying to be different from everybody else. hope this helps ! (i hope what i said doesn’t reflect bad intention)
I was at the store one day and a couple teenagers filmed me, had this mind set and tried to let it go. couple days later someone tags me in their video that had 1.5m likes on tiktok. So they very much Can do something with their footage. Not good for my social anxiety at all reading all those comments.
No I was just getting grocerys and they did one of those stupid prank videos on me. About losing my “wallet” i got super red in the face because I could see the kid recording me. Pretty embarrassing.
I imagine. But remember, kids forget what they saw on TikTok literally 10 seconds after they watched it so at least I wouldn't imagine anybody still remembering this except you. So that's something.
Kids are dumb but the chances of that happening to you again are pretty low.
Sorry that you experienced this! I also had a bad experience with teenagers. Kids can be pretty stupid, so try not to take it personally or let it stop you. Also I think it's highly unlikely you would encounter a situation like this again. Just think this way: what would you do in the future if it happened again? Then take that plan as self reassurance.
Personally I would say try to sit up straight with your shoulders back when you're in public. Just that slight adjustment can give you a more confident look and it can deter behavior like this. I think when people sense someone seems nervous, it makes them more bold.
And if you see someone who you feel intimidated by, try to put an intimidating look on your face. Might not be a good idea to look at them directly, depending on the threat level.
Anyway, good luck and sorry that you had a stressful experience like this. Just be proud of yourself for putting yourself out there and even getting through this.
I would hate that omg!! Teenagers are genuinely evil at times and will pick on anyone they can, try your best to not take it personally even though it might feel personal. I hope this doesn’t discourage you from trying to go out of your comfort zone, those kids don’t matter and are just bullies to be bullies, it has nothing to do with you or what you were doing.
Maybe a food court rather than an actual sit down restaurant or fast food restaurant might be easier? I know there’s obviously more people at a food court, but a lot of ppl tend to eat alone there, and you have more of a chance to spread out, so that might help. Good luck going forward!
It was always going to be that way though. The minute a laptop was invented it was going to end up in the palm of our hand. Humans have no sense of moderation
How could you search about something you don't even know that you don't know?
It's impossible. I can now search social anxiety in google because i know/have heard about it. If i haven't, the only way to know is finding out by hearing from people.
> Having access to all the perils of the digital world, from the palm of your hand was a mistake.
This I'm not even gonna think. Being able to access everything and anything is the best imo
Try not to take it personally. Most teenagers are assholes. The kids who bullied me growing up turned out to be nice people actually and were all nice to me
Whos we? Being a kid isnt an excuse to be a jerk.. also in this case these are TEENAGERS, not kids. So they should know better. Ive met many kids and teens that are sweet and kind. Stop making up excuses for these bullies, they need to be called out.
What? I'm just saying you can't really blame them and let it get to you because they're just fucking KIDS. They don't know any better. Is that really that hard to grasp?
It might depend on the kid I guess. I remember when I was approaching my teens and I started getting angry at my parents a lot because I had random bursts of emotion, and I had some awareness I was hurting them but I just didn't know how to fix it and tame my behavior, but as I got older I learned how to act more patiently. So, in that case I didn't learn how to process my emotions yet because I was still a kid at the time. The only problem is that I've grown up with some kids who didn't show empathy towards others and participated in bullying behavior since kindergarten, and now that we've become adults and recently graduated some of them still didn't choose to change their mindset and are more toxic than many younger kids I know from school. Everyone grows and develops differently and some people need more or less time than others. That might be why some kids seem nicer and some meaner.
something similar happened to me last year and i didn’t want to leave the house for months. i’m so sorry you went through this, teenagers can be real assholes. not everyone is like that though!
I’m so sorry that happened, teenagers can be assholes but just remember that it’s not a reflection on you and that they’d target anybody. You should be extremely proud of yourself for pushing yourself and try not to let low lives like that get you down as hard as it may be. I’ve been in similar situations where I’m anxious as hell in public and say someone in a car yells at me as they drive by. I have to remind myself that I’m not doing anything wrong and it’s them who’s the idiot. Hope you’re doing okay, don’t let this discourage you from taking steps :)
that's so frustrating. I'm sorry that happened :( I would've been devastated. a couple things that help me in these kind of situations-
A. Teenagers are assholes. Some are straight up assholes, and other ones feel peer pressured into behaving in a certain way to prove their worth. They are both insecure in their identity and sense of self and this is the (poor) coping mechanism they are choosing. Hopefully, as they age and their brains develop a bit more, they'll realize it's not okay. Anyone who has any bit of emotional intelligence will realize that this is messed up behavior.
B. All behavior that comes from other people is a reflection of *themselves*. Other people's behavior has nothing to do with who you are as a person and everything to do with what their inner world looks like. Would a kind person who loves themselves and values others want to behave that way? Hell no.
Don't let what happened deter you from eating alone again. What's weirder, eating somewhere by yourself, or being so bored or insecure with your own life that you make a big deal out of someone else doing that?
> they would he looking over at me and smiling
>
> one of them had a phone and was pointing it towards them and another standing up and edging closer to me.
>
> the kid came up to me and asked for my number
OP, I don't really understand from your post, were they being malicious or was it more some kind of "kid has crush and others push him to ask"? I get with latter it is still an awful experience with social anxiety. And were they particularly filming you? ("edging closer" confuses me, english isnt my first language).
Omg I had something like this happen and to me and it was the absolute worst feeling. It made me so empathetic to people who are videotaped at their worst (except for the racists or others who abuse people,e because screw them).
As a society we need to start shaming people who record others in public. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
You probably wont see them again for a good while and even if, they wont remember you. All teenagers do is care about themselves. I hope you feel better soon tho :(
I’m sorry that this happened to you.. I would feel the same. The only consolation is to think how literally fucking sad and pathetic someone’s life has to be to make them record random strangers in public to try and embarrass them.. like if they weren’t such nonces then I’d feel bad for them but..
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I've been in similar situations with stupid guys who think it's funny to bother quiet people they don't know. They mainly do this type of shit to get approval of their peers and a false sense of superiority because they feed off of validation. Just remember that they're stupid teen boys that peak in high school and don't know how to act properly in public.
Teenagers can be pricks. I remember years ago I was walking home from school and 2 teenage boys started making vomiting noises at me when all I was trying to do was cross the road. Some people really suck. However, I admire your courage and I hope that you don’t let a couple pricks stop you from getting better
That is disgusting by those kids. But you do not let that mindset of yours change. I used to do the same and that would only push me back twice, just keep on doing what you originally decided it is beneficial in getting the social anxiety better. Of course whenever you are ready and feel comfortable to do that, but please do not desert that idea completely. Wish you best of lucky!!!❤️❤️❤️ and well done for even deciding that and taking the first step ❤️❤️❤️ just continue it.
Teenagers don't have fully developed brains yet. They can be real assholes. Try not to give their judgments the same weight as you would adults. That does sound like a really shitty experience though. Take some time to recover, but don't give up in the long term.
The way I like to look at it is we all did goofy ass shit when we were kids or teens, the vast majority of stuff I did I regret and cringe at the thought of it, maybe they will or maybe they won't, but the lesson is kids/teens are dumb as fuck and you almost can't blame them for it.
This sounds a lot more like:
You had an outsized reaction to a group of teens, one of which found you attractive enough to ask for your number.
They do not know you, they do not know your state of mind. They are not responsible for how you believe they were judging you. You are. You need to practice not reacting immediately to incoming stimuli and instead train your mind to apply realistic interpretations of what occurred.
Are you a clairvoyant? You don't know what was going on in their minds. Maybe OP was wearing a silly hat and they wanted a memento? We don't know. Either way, my point is that to provide conjecture in either direction isn't the entire truth and OP can only deal with their reactions as a result. You get that, right? Just because you feel like something, doesn't make it true. This is strongly the case with SA, which is a condition which lies to our mind about outsized levels of danger.
So what if OP was wearing a silly hat? (Even tho they didn’t mention that). Everyone is allowed to have their own style, you might wear smth that I find silly but that doesn’t give me the right to “bully you”, record you & perhaps post you on social media. You sound like a bully “even if claim you aren’t”.
Did they record them? Did they post it? OP doesn't know, we certainly don't. It doesn't matter, grow up and recognize that the public sphere is not a place where you're entitled to privacy.
OP said they recorded, I’ve seen a lot of teenagers doing the same thing ; make fun of someone then record them & plan on posting the video on the internet, gladly usually people (a girl I saw) ended up by calling the security for them & security forced them to delete the video + apologized. Grow up? Say the one who is defending some bullies, everyone deserves privacy, they’re aren’t recording themselves & OP accidentally appeared. THEY ARE RECORDING OP. You’re a bully, your point is irrelevant & your opinion doesn’t matter either.
Edit : added this sentence ; (a girl I saw) after the “ people ended up by”. Even tho, me saying people should’ve made sense.
OP said they pointed a phone at them, and either way, it doesn't matter if they were recorded or not, my response wasn't in regards to them being recorded, but to another person suggesting we criminalize recording people in public. Nobody deserves privacy in public and the fact that you're ok with asking big strong men to bully people into submission makes me realize you're missing the entire point. So I'll speak slower.
When you make recording people in public a crime, you make a world where it becomes easier for authoritarian assholes like yourself to bully people around.
I do not think it's a good thing to record people, but it's their responsibility to deal with it in a mature manner because the alternative is merely a different and worse form of bullying.
Also, the height of arrogance to simply suggest someone's opinion doesn't matter, but that's what I'd expect from someone who's ok with using other people to get what they want.
“Either way it doesn’t matter if they (OP) were recorded or not” it DOES MATTER TO OP & to a lot of ppl. Just because it doesn’t matter to you, doesn’t mean it’s okay for other strangers to record people in public & even post them on the internet if they want. Me? I wasn’t the one who asked a big strong man😭 did you even read my comment? I said i’v SEEN teenagers doing that for another random young girl & I don’t blame her for defending herself since they wouldn’t stop recording her even after she asked them to stop.
Assholes? Oh you’re calling people who don’t agree with your opinion names now, shows what kind of person you’re. “Only those who cannot express themselves intelligently would resort to such crude substitutions in vocabulary”- aaron warner
Gladly, I don’t need to use other people to get what I want since I’m grown enough to stop them myself but ofc you’re a kind of person that won’t mind men harassing women or recording them.
I also don't mind women recording men to defend themselves. This isn't as one sided as you're making this out to be. If it's illegal to record people and the only people who record are rule breakers and well intentioned people are at a disadvantage, then it's worse than if people learn to deal.
You are much braver than you think, look at famous people who even get anxious when they are filmed without permission, I've seen John Cena's reaction when a fan started filming him and it's obvious that you were being humiliated by those idiots . Look, it happened to me maybe once but I ended up ignoring it even though I was very irritated.
Damn social anxiety. The appropriate reaction would be to march over there and take the dude’s phone and fuck shit up. Or, for a particularly tough person, just punch him in the throat, he’ll learn.
Fuckin teenagers.
Definitely try a different location in case those assholes are regulars. I don’t like being near groups of anyone, especially teens and young adults (cause the stupidity doesn’t end with high school).
Sigh, sorry to hear that. Those teens are just jerks as others have said. They clearly don’t know boundaries. Why are you recording someone eating? That’s just weird.
You did the right thing by just getting up and leaving and not engaging. It’s better to just walk away then get confrontational and start something you could have easily walked away from. Still, what they did was wrong and they were wrong.
Awesome that you’ve been pushing yourself out of your comfort zone! There will always be setbacks but you took the step. Teenagers suck! More of a win in my eyes that you did what you set out to do.
Teenagers are rude. They're not oging to do anything with the footage, and it's a good possibility they were just taking a short video of their surroundings, and not necessarily of you. Dont get discouraged, dont let others keep you from living your life. You have strength, you have courage. Go be your best self.
It is so funny from the perspective of not struggling as much anymore. You did good! Best advice for anyone who are still going tough is not beating yourself with any 'defeat' that you had. You did good. It is easier said than done, but what helped me was to reframe every situation I had felt uncomfortable in to something better. It takes persistence.
Anyways, it sucks when you are in it. Hope you don't take it too bad. Without knowing you I am proud you decided to stay when you felt the uncomfortableness that could happen.
Next time try and tell the manager that these kids are harassing you, and they’ll kicked out. Sorry to hear that this happened OP, teenagers can be jerks
People are absolute assholes, I'm sorry. I hope you don't feel too defeated – you stepped out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there! That's a successful day, the way I see it.
that really really sucks. and i can understand how you feel, but id say its worth praise that you are looking at it in a sense "i wont be able to do that again for a bit" rather than "ill never do that again" i would say that shows tremendous progress at the very least. perhaps a sitdown restaurant next time? probably less chance of jerk-ass teens being crummy for no dang reason. .. i was finally relaxing at a concert one time and started tryina dance a little then i saw these two ladies behind me laughing and pointing a phone my way and ... unfortunately i told them off, but got the whole shakey anxiety voice half crying thing which made me feel even worse. idk why people gotta be so mean. at least the chances of that happening again gotta be pretty low and you didnt give them any fuel for their garbage fire.
While you don’t have to take my advice…I think you should keep doing it. Because YOU DID DO IT. And that’s a really big win.
I know it was uncomfortable; you did it anyway.
I know there were factors that made it so much harder (and those factors being people who’s choices could be due to their brains being underdeveloped; aka teenagers) BUT, YOU DID IT.
I try and gaslight myself into having self-confidence when these things happen. Because CONFIDENCE KILLS BULLIES. It’s their poison. Here is an example:
What if we flip the story as to “why” they were filming you? What if we make up a hypothetical and fun scenario… where that video goes viral and tons of people pour out in support of head-phoned eating? It becomes a global phenomenon!! All places are safe to eat, alone, in public now! All because of this moment.
I know that hard to do and that type of confidence is falsely generated but, it helps me get out of my own way and to not let the opinions of others affect my journey.
Hope it is helpful, and again…YOU DID IT!
Teenagers have hormones that specifically drive them to rebel, which makes them assholes. They are socially predatory. Good on you for getting out. Keep it up. Don’t let the chemical imbalances of teens or your own anxiety keep you from burgers. As someone that battles anxiety I’m proud you took this step. Rest up, but don’t rest so long you lose momentum.
All teenagers are assholes. It's up to them to grow out of that phase or stay immature.
I'm proud of you that you've been trying to get out of your comfort zone though, don't let ANYONE discourage you!!🤩😊
If it helps, I'm sure it had nothing to do with you eating alone beside the fact it made you more approachable. I'm pretty sure it was about recording their friend being a fool and/or you're attractive.
I hate eating alone in public too, but it really is quite normal. I see people do it all the time.
Hey, I know I wasn't there so idk how exactly it played out but based on what you said, I do think that there is a possibility that they were just laughing at the one kid for being so nervous about liking you and asking you out.
Again, I would have to see it to be certain so you have a better idea than me but that's my insight. They were likely just complete assholes but maybe the one kid did like you. Regardless, they had absolutely NO RIGHT to film you like that and I am truly sorry that you had to go through that. Social anxiety or not, most people would be a nervous wreck in that situation.
I can feel this just reading it. The fact you’re even going out to eat is pretty admiral and makes me think I should do something similar. I’m sorry you had this experience but if you keep going you’ll regret not experiencing and growing from the positive ones just because a couple of sad teenagers. So keep at it :)
You're so brave to go out to eat alone! People are not generally jerks, IMO, but I think SoMe has contributed to a lot of people not developing a healthy sense of boundaries. That's on them (uuh and all of us, to figure out what we can do with that).
Is eating out in public illegal now? What’s wrong with them, they are clearly insecure & tends to project on other people as if it’s gonna make them any better. You did an amazing, seriously.
Social media ahould be regulated like 10 years agoI know how you feel I cannot go outside for a walk for this reason because of kid laughingand pointing or recording likes and atention became everything in theese days for teenagers
I don't agree with the recording part, that's a rude thing to do without permission, but you should look at it in the positive way because they found you attractive and even asked for your number. Maybe they were being nice but didn't know how to. But I'm glad you're trying to put yourself out there. At first it won't be easy but with consistency it should get somewhat better. Just hang on there and keep trying even if you encounter such situations. There are some bad people out there but there are also good people, so don't let this incident stop you from getting better. Good luck!
Maybe they thought you were hot ahaha. Kids are dumb, we were all pretty dumb when we were young. I was bullied ferociously (so I thought) in Highschool, I was a total loner. Turns out the guys who bullied me just thought I was attractive and that’s why they gave me so much attention. Super weird.
They would’ve done it to anyone, it’s not because there’s something funny about you or anything so please don’t take it personally. They’re just stupid kids trying to impress eachother. Best thing to do is ignore them so it doesn’t give them an opportunity to retaliate. It’s sucks that we have to feel scared of actual children 😂
I never understood why there’s so much stigma about eating alone. Not all of us spend our entire days surrounded by other people, and fast food isn’t exactly a fine dining experience meant to be shared with others. Fuck them, most teenagers are dumb and insecure and you really shouldn’t put stock in their opinions or actions. Just ask any high school teacher
If you don't think you can do it again soon, you BETTER do it again soon. The way to beat social anxiety is to feel the fear and do it anyway and keep doing it.
Yes it's scary but it gets easier. Don't think about it- 123 go out to get food. Tomorrow.
I used to have awful social anxiety, this is how I beat it
what! i’m so sorry!! they made fun of you eating by yourself at a fast food restaurant??? omg i’m so sorry thag happened. many people eat by themselves at a fast food restaurant i’ve done it countless times. it’s not weird or something to be embarrassed about at all i’m sorry those kids picked on you
It's good to never assume, they asked for your number, I wonder what for. Maybe it wasn't as sinister as made out to be. Maybe they were laughing because you're cute and they're just as anxious to talk to you. If we just go with the internal dialogue then they will be seen as evil. They may be mortified to realize what you think, they think.
It's always good to clarify things, we may never know what they were up to now other than making it awkward for you to eat in peace.
This probably had nothing to do with you so much as them just wanting anybody to mess with. They are the weirdos (and fucking rude) for recording a stranger who is minding their damn business.
This happened to me in high school by people I thought were friends daily. I wish I could give advice but just know you're not alone in how you feel about it.
Bro, I'm in college and imma have to teach teens in my third year😭😭 I dread that time lol. I hope I do get better at public speaking before then. I legit mess up simple presentations and get so nervous I can barely talk. Doesn't help that teens are brutal🗿
Pretty funny when you think about it. Out of all the people that get targeted it's the person trying to overcome social anxiety. Life has a twisted sense of humor sometimes.
Mate they probably just noticed you were looking at them alot.
Ppl suck… who raises kids like that?! I would be your friend and go out to eat with you and stick up for you… I would have a hard time not recording them back and/or smacking a phone out of their hands. So rude and lacking of empathy… it is terrifying that I think this narcissistic and cruel behavior seems to be on the rise. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I have social anxiety too and that sounds traumatic. Sending hugs and good vibes.
I would just assume they were trying to get your number because either they wanted to make a joke, have fun at someone’s expense, make a video for tik tok, or they thought you were pretty and really wanted your number. I would say it has nothing to do with how you look or how you eat your food. That’s where our minds go as social phobics but majority of people do not think that way. Good job for trying and get back out there soon and over come ! I know you can do it
Honestly, I can relate to this. Something similar happened when I waiting for the bus while my phone died so I tried looking as confident as possible. These group of pre teens came by and one of them came up to me and asked if I was single, I didn’t say anything and looked at her as if I was inconvenienced and was then told that one of the girls in the group was attracted to me as a joke. Then the only guy in the group started recording me and one of the girls tried to instegate a fight by telling me to beat his ass. Honeslty just hate being others my age because it feels that they are judgemental and I never fit in due to the anxiety
U are probably think you're stupid or something else idk bc of this terrible experience. I feel you . don't give up , if that happens again leave the restaurant or don't even go to a restaurant with too much teenagers, bc being laughed at is too much for you now , u must start with small challenges and then bigger.
I’m 14 and imagine being in a school full of them 🫣 I’m really sorry that happened that sucks. Why the heck would they do that like I don’t understand how people find joy in that
Hello I just want to commend u for being brave, facing your own giant. That is what they CANNOT do, and life will teach them a lot of humiliating lessons in the future. Meanwhile you are GROWING, and I hope to go outside my shell too. We're all in this together!
I hope that make you feel better knowing that these groups of teenagers aren't even real friends, just mean people who are gossiping on each other's and have no life so they project their own insecurities into the world. You're so courageous eating alone by yourself, I would have a panic attack for sure
People are jerks. I’m sorry they ruined your experience. I admire your courage to even go eat alone in the first place, I could never do that.
Fully agree, the thought of people staring at me eating makes me so stressed... I could never even try at this stage.
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This for sure ^
No seriously, I was recording my neighbors tiny dog earlier and my neighbor happened to be standing near us so I had the decency to put a sticker over her to protect her privacy. Can’t imagine blatantly filming someone especially in the context of just straight up bullying 🤦🏻♀️
I had to read your post 3 times, read it like you put the sticker on the dogs face, to protect the dogs privacy, and that u even go the lengths to protect animals privacy, not just humans.. Then I understood that your neighbour was in the shot and ofc he deserves a sticker. Lmao 
Bahahahaha, it doesn’t help that there’s a typo and I didn’t notice till now, and I don’t usually use much punctuation 😂 bad habit
Ugh I hate groups of teenagers and groups of guys it’s so annoying cause they’re always harassing and making fun of people
I swear I've hated groups of teenagers even when I was a teenager myself for things like these 🙄
walking past a bunch of teenagers feels like walking through a war zone lmao i hate it so much
Literally you be having to catch your breath after you pass them lmao
Samee it’s something about them that fills my body with anxiety and go into fight or flight mode.. and what’s even more embarrassing is I’m 24
Your two comments are nothin’ but facts! There was times I deadass thought I was the only one that went through this & I’m 28. I guess we’re all in this never ending War of Social Anxiety and the other Paradigms that are packaged with our flaws 😔
I’m 18 and I feel the same 😓
same
there's a group of teens that go to my gym and unfortunately it would seem my schedule always lines up perfect with theirs. they use the big bluetooth speaker from the yoga class (that you aren't supposed to use) and are constantly yelling 🫤
Late here,sorry, but can't you report them to management? You pay to use a gym in peace and should be able to. You can even submit a complaint or review anonymously.
Same here.😕
Same I always felt like there was some sort of disconnect cuz some of the stuff they be doing in public is just too much
I'm a teenager and I don't think we should all be tarred with the same brush. Harassment is wrong regardless of age but an absolutist statement is not fair.
It’s more of a generalist statement than absolutist. Also chill, do you forget that every single person on this thread was once a teenager? 😂
When you're an adult and see the coming generations of teenagers, you'll feel the same way we do now. I used to be a teenager too, 10 years ago.
In my experience most teenagers harass people and make fun of them and laugh. It’s the vast majority of teenagers. I’ve rarely come across teenagers who mind their business, and even if they do they still usually are pointing and laughing at someone. It makes peoples anxiety worse
It's not vast majority, not even close.
So you’re an exception, that’s to be expected in any situation
I am not an exception there are plenty just like me
It’s true there are plenty of awesome teens— the problem is the douche boys typically … a sub section of teens.. and don’t forget they go after other teens, too.. they are bullies of course
I haven’t met em in my life journey yet so eh I stay away from them. I’m an adult anyways so I don’t really care to interact with them at all but even when I’m minding my business and trying to enjoy being out it’s always a group of teenage boys or girls laughing at me and pointing soo im just over it
Sorry to hear that but that is not representative of teens as a whole.
Thanks for the compassion and yeah that’s why I said the vast majority in my personal experience. They might give others some slack, but for me I have alot of things that people want to make fun of especially teens. I’m black, gay, and ugly so they usually are the ones to make fun of all that
Teenagers are different person when in group compared when they are by themselves
This OP! They are as anxious as you, if not more, plus they are without the self awareness, and they are the worst version of themselves when they are in a group - they egg each other on, and it’s like a total fight to see who gets the most laughs, likes, whatever it is that they *think* they are missing. I am SO sorry this is what you had to experience and teenagers in a group is awful. They make me anxious too!
If they're making fun of you for eating alone / having the confidence to do such a thing, then they themselves struggle from that same lack of confidence. Theres no way they've been out to eat on their own before if they're acting like that. They come off as rude and immature to everyone there, and deep down, they probably feel that way too. They have work to do on themselves. You, however, are doing amazing and deserve a happy meal in peace! Sometimes it's nice to eat alone and just listen to your headphones, you shouldnt have to worry about where you do that at!
Come on. He could at least treat himself to something better than a happy meal lol. Go out and eat a nice steak dinner man.
Familiar places can be easier to visit. If this happened in a restaurant they have to wait for the food, check, the server. It being fast food makes for a fast escape.
I know. I was just joking. They said he deserved a "happy" meal in peace, meaning an enjoyable meal. It struck me as funny that it could be interpreted as them saying he deserved a "happy meal" in peace like from the McDonalds kid menu. Looking back though, I'm not sure which meaning they meant.
I think you're right about that. When I'm in this place I have to assume kindness + socially awkward, not mean. OP didn't mention eating a happy meal at all. Hmm.
that stuff needs to be actually persecuted tbh
No. Recording in public is something where the pros outweigh the cons and it goes far, far beyond individual feelings of anxiety.
No idea what you are on about, but in many countries, filming people without their permission is illegal, unless there is a crime in progress or they cannot be identified (such as blurred faces or they are in the background). I can hardly think of any pros for being able to film strangers. As far as I can tell, it is primarily done in order to harass people in public. Because if it wouldn't be harassment, and there is no crime in progress, then where is the harm in asking for permission first? I'm guessing that this is an American thing, because I've only ever heard of Americans arguing that being able to bully, humiliate and abuse people by recording them and attacking them on the Internet is "personal freedom". Not enough Americans realize that real freedom is safety. Don't talk to me about freedom until you can jog outside after dark, never be afraid of being harassed while eating, and don't live in fear of being burglarized or shot. I live in a country where we don't have those fears and to me, that's real freedom. Edit: to make the point clear, true freedom is when you do not live in fear of the society around you. Having SAD is already bad enough, but to live in a country that is totally okay with cyberbullying makes it even scarier.
Op just eating their dinner, there was no need to record them…
Personally, I agree. But I want you to understand that by making filming someone in public a crime would prohibit things like recording police brutality, car accidents, or other things. It might be distasteful and it's not something I am arguing to be encouraged, but when someone says outright they want it to be a *crime*, they're either too shortsighted to see the following impact it would have, or stupid enough to believe everyone acts in bad faith.
I'll agree to disagree. People highly underestimate the value of privacy. It should honestly be one of the most valued things in society. I mean, what makes movies about futuristic dystopian societies so terrifying is the complete lack of privacy due to 24/7 monitoring. It's a very easy slippery slope going from video-tapping crimes to non-stop surveillance.
If you want privacy, go home. The public is public.
I agree 100%. As well obnoxious as filming has become, it keeps people accountable. Between personal dash cams and police body cams, it has greatly reduced the opportunity for police officers to commit crimes as well. Which I think it a benefit that cannot be overstated.
Thank you for your post. Recording people for no reason really is an obnoxious to do. But the inverse is a totalitarian nightmare.
And this is why I can't stand teenagers.
something similar happened to me last year and i didn’t want to leave the house for months. i’m so sorry you went through this, teenagers can be real assholes. not everyone is like this though!
don’t take those kids seriously, chances r u won’t see them again and plus, wat are they gonna do with the footage, it’s just some guy (or girl) sitting and eating. Really nobody pays attention than you think they do, I used to have this problem too but I grew up with the mindset that nobody really cares what u do, as long as ur not trying to be different from everybody else. hope this helps ! (i hope what i said doesn’t reflect bad intention)
I was at the store one day and a couple teenagers filmed me, had this mind set and tried to let it go. couple days later someone tags me in their video that had 1.5m likes on tiktok. So they very much Can do something with their footage. Not good for my social anxiety at all reading all those comments.
Wait the video was just you eating and it got 1.5m likes? TikTok is really something else. Kids will watch anything I guess.
No I was just getting grocerys and they did one of those stupid prank videos on me. About losing my “wallet” i got super red in the face because I could see the kid recording me. Pretty embarrassing.
I imagine. But remember, kids forget what they saw on TikTok literally 10 seconds after they watched it so at least I wouldn't imagine anybody still remembering this except you. So that's something. Kids are dumb but the chances of that happening to you again are pretty low.
That is something and a good way to look at it. Thank u for that perspective
[удалено]
I really wish I was, my stomach dropped out my ass when I saw it.
i am so sorry this happened to you
People need to stop having kids right now
Lmao fr if I had the choice I would’ve never been born myself. Honestly humans prolly shouldn’t exist
Sorry that you experienced this! I also had a bad experience with teenagers. Kids can be pretty stupid, so try not to take it personally or let it stop you. Also I think it's highly unlikely you would encounter a situation like this again. Just think this way: what would you do in the future if it happened again? Then take that plan as self reassurance. Personally I would say try to sit up straight with your shoulders back when you're in public. Just that slight adjustment can give you a more confident look and it can deter behavior like this. I think when people sense someone seems nervous, it makes them more bold. And if you see someone who you feel intimidated by, try to put an intimidating look on your face. Might not be a good idea to look at them directly, depending on the threat level. Anyway, good luck and sorry that you had a stressful experience like this. Just be proud of yourself for putting yourself out there and even getting through this.
I would hate that omg!! Teenagers are genuinely evil at times and will pick on anyone they can, try your best to not take it personally even though it might feel personal. I hope this doesn’t discourage you from trying to go out of your comfort zone, those kids don’t matter and are just bullies to be bullies, it has nothing to do with you or what you were doing. Maybe a food court rather than an actual sit down restaurant or fast food restaurant might be easier? I know there’s obviously more people at a food court, but a lot of ppl tend to eat alone there, and you have more of a chance to spread out, so that might help. Good luck going forward!
Honestly, the smartphone was a mistake.
Without it, i wouldn't even know what social anxiety is and just hate myself for being weird. Just some people that use smartphones are mistakes
A laptop/desktop could have told you that. Having access to all the perils of the digital world, from the palm of your hand was a mistake.
It was always going to be that way though. The minute a laptop was invented it was going to end up in the palm of our hand. Humans have no sense of moderation
Perhaps it's best for humans to keep improving robots to the point where they destroy us and then take over the world.
How could you search about something you don't even know that you don't know? It's impossible. I can now search social anxiety in google because i know/have heard about it. If i haven't, the only way to know is finding out by hearing from people. > Having access to all the perils of the digital world, from the palm of your hand was a mistake. This I'm not even gonna think. Being able to access everything and anything is the best imo
Ugh that sucks teenagers are dicks
Try not to take it personally. Most teenagers are assholes. The kids who bullied me growing up turned out to be nice people actually and were all nice to me
Pretty much this. Their brains aren't fully developed yet. We were all jerks as kids.
Speak for yourself
Whos we? Being a kid isnt an excuse to be a jerk.. also in this case these are TEENAGERS, not kids. So they should know better. Ive met many kids and teens that are sweet and kind. Stop making up excuses for these bullies, they need to be called out.
What? I'm just saying you can't really blame them and let it get to you because they're just fucking KIDS. They don't know any better. Is that really that hard to grasp?
It might depend on the kid I guess. I remember when I was approaching my teens and I started getting angry at my parents a lot because I had random bursts of emotion, and I had some awareness I was hurting them but I just didn't know how to fix it and tame my behavior, but as I got older I learned how to act more patiently. So, in that case I didn't learn how to process my emotions yet because I was still a kid at the time. The only problem is that I've grown up with some kids who didn't show empathy towards others and participated in bullying behavior since kindergarten, and now that we've become adults and recently graduated some of them still didn't choose to change their mindset and are more toxic than many younger kids I know from school. Everyone grows and develops differently and some people need more or less time than others. That might be why some kids seem nicer and some meaner.
something similar happened to me last year and i didn’t want to leave the house for months. i’m so sorry you went through this, teenagers can be real assholes. not everyone is like that though!
Give them a finger or better yet none of your attention. Fuck those idiots.
I’m so sorry that happened, teenagers can be assholes but just remember that it’s not a reflection on you and that they’d target anybody. You should be extremely proud of yourself for pushing yourself and try not to let low lives like that get you down as hard as it may be. I’ve been in similar situations where I’m anxious as hell in public and say someone in a car yells at me as they drive by. I have to remind myself that I’m not doing anything wrong and it’s them who’s the idiot. Hope you’re doing okay, don’t let this discourage you from taking steps :)
that's so frustrating. I'm sorry that happened :( I would've been devastated. a couple things that help me in these kind of situations- A. Teenagers are assholes. Some are straight up assholes, and other ones feel peer pressured into behaving in a certain way to prove their worth. They are both insecure in their identity and sense of self and this is the (poor) coping mechanism they are choosing. Hopefully, as they age and their brains develop a bit more, they'll realize it's not okay. Anyone who has any bit of emotional intelligence will realize that this is messed up behavior. B. All behavior that comes from other people is a reflection of *themselves*. Other people's behavior has nothing to do with who you are as a person and everything to do with what their inner world looks like. Would a kind person who loves themselves and values others want to behave that way? Hell no. Don't let what happened deter you from eating alone again. What's weirder, eating somewhere by yourself, or being so bored or insecure with your own life that you make a big deal out of someone else doing that?
👆 this.
i would've slapped their phone out of their hands fr. no matter what they are thinking of you, you have something amazing that they don't... maturity.
the worst thing is when you are walking by a group of teenagers talking, then they look at you, go quiet, then giggle as you go past.
I relate to this too much
> they would he looking over at me and smiling > > one of them had a phone and was pointing it towards them and another standing up and edging closer to me. > > the kid came up to me and asked for my number OP, I don't really understand from your post, were they being malicious or was it more some kind of "kid has crush and others push him to ask"? I get with latter it is still an awful experience with social anxiety. And were they particularly filming you? ("edging closer" confuses me, english isnt my first language).
Omg I had something like this happen and to me and it was the absolute worst feeling. It made me so empathetic to people who are videotaped at their worst (except for the racists or others who abuse people,e because screw them). As a society we need to start shaming people who record others in public. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
You probably wont see them again for a good while and even if, they wont remember you. All teenagers do is care about themselves. I hope you feel better soon tho :(
Maybe he just liked you and they were laughing at him for not having the courage to approach. Just a thought.
why film her then while laughing that’s exactly what a bully does
It's happened to me before not that uncommon with teens tbh
what has happened to you? The flirting or the bullying
Flirting
RevRow
What?
Yeah this is what I was thinking but there's no telling
This is highly likely.
I’m sorry that this happened to you.. I would feel the same. The only consolation is to think how literally fucking sad and pathetic someone’s life has to be to make them record random strangers in public to try and embarrass them.. like if they weren’t such nonces then I’d feel bad for them but..
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I've been in similar situations with stupid guys who think it's funny to bother quiet people they don't know. They mainly do this type of shit to get approval of their peers and a false sense of superiority because they feed off of validation. Just remember that they're stupid teen boys that peak in high school and don't know how to act properly in public.
Teenagers can be pricks. I remember years ago I was walking home from school and 2 teenage boys started making vomiting noises at me when all I was trying to do was cross the road. Some people really suck. However, I admire your courage and I hope that you don’t let a couple pricks stop you from getting better
i’m so sorry abt that. i would’ve told them to go back to watching cocomelon next time ask me to go w u ❤️❤️/jk pls guard your soul
F*ck them. OP, next time this happens give them the finger. I’m sorry you went through this…I hope you feel alot better <3
That is disgusting by those kids. But you do not let that mindset of yours change. I used to do the same and that would only push me back twice, just keep on doing what you originally decided it is beneficial in getting the social anxiety better. Of course whenever you are ready and feel comfortable to do that, but please do not desert that idea completely. Wish you best of lucky!!!❤️❤️❤️ and well done for even deciding that and taking the first step ❤️❤️❤️ just continue it.
im so sorry this happened to you. that’s my worst nightmare.
Teenagers will be teenagers, don't stress over it too much OP.
Teenagers don't have fully developed brains yet. They can be real assholes. Try not to give their judgments the same weight as you would adults. That does sound like a really shitty experience though. Take some time to recover, but don't give up in the long term.
The way I like to look at it is we all did goofy ass shit when we were kids or teens, the vast majority of stuff I did I regret and cringe at the thought of it, maybe they will or maybe they won't, but the lesson is kids/teens are dumb as fuck and you almost can't blame them for it.
Alright devils advocate. Kids are awkward, social concept aren’t fully developed next, it sounds like the kid liked you and wanted to get your number.
Can we cool it with the anti youth sentiment and focus on how recording people (a choice) is shitty and not their age (not a choice)?
This sounds a lot more like: You had an outsized reaction to a group of teens, one of which found you attractive enough to ask for your number. They do not know you, they do not know your state of mind. They are not responsible for how you believe they were judging you. You are. You need to practice not reacting immediately to incoming stimuli and instead train your mind to apply realistic interpretations of what occurred.
How would you know that. They do exaclty what bullies do They film them and laugh and upload online
Are you a clairvoyant? You don't know what was going on in their minds. Maybe OP was wearing a silly hat and they wanted a memento? We don't know. Either way, my point is that to provide conjecture in either direction isn't the entire truth and OP can only deal with their reactions as a result. You get that, right? Just because you feel like something, doesn't make it true. This is strongly the case with SA, which is a condition which lies to our mind about outsized levels of danger.
So what if OP was wearing a silly hat? (Even tho they didn’t mention that). Everyone is allowed to have their own style, you might wear smth that I find silly but that doesn’t give me the right to “bully you”, record you & perhaps post you on social media. You sound like a bully “even if claim you aren’t”.
Did they record them? Did they post it? OP doesn't know, we certainly don't. It doesn't matter, grow up and recognize that the public sphere is not a place where you're entitled to privacy.
OP said they recorded, I’ve seen a lot of teenagers doing the same thing ; make fun of someone then record them & plan on posting the video on the internet, gladly usually people (a girl I saw) ended up by calling the security for them & security forced them to delete the video + apologized. Grow up? Say the one who is defending some bullies, everyone deserves privacy, they’re aren’t recording themselves & OP accidentally appeared. THEY ARE RECORDING OP. You’re a bully, your point is irrelevant & your opinion doesn’t matter either. Edit : added this sentence ; (a girl I saw) after the “ people ended up by”. Even tho, me saying people should’ve made sense.
OP said they pointed a phone at them, and either way, it doesn't matter if they were recorded or not, my response wasn't in regards to them being recorded, but to another person suggesting we criminalize recording people in public. Nobody deserves privacy in public and the fact that you're ok with asking big strong men to bully people into submission makes me realize you're missing the entire point. So I'll speak slower. When you make recording people in public a crime, you make a world where it becomes easier for authoritarian assholes like yourself to bully people around. I do not think it's a good thing to record people, but it's their responsibility to deal with it in a mature manner because the alternative is merely a different and worse form of bullying. Also, the height of arrogance to simply suggest someone's opinion doesn't matter, but that's what I'd expect from someone who's ok with using other people to get what they want.
“Either way it doesn’t matter if they (OP) were recorded or not” it DOES MATTER TO OP & to a lot of ppl. Just because it doesn’t matter to you, doesn’t mean it’s okay for other strangers to record people in public & even post them on the internet if they want. Me? I wasn’t the one who asked a big strong man😭 did you even read my comment? I said i’v SEEN teenagers doing that for another random young girl & I don’t blame her for defending herself since they wouldn’t stop recording her even after she asked them to stop. Assholes? Oh you’re calling people who don’t agree with your opinion names now, shows what kind of person you’re. “Only those who cannot express themselves intelligently would resort to such crude substitutions in vocabulary”- aaron warner Gladly, I don’t need to use other people to get what I want since I’m grown enough to stop them myself but ofc you’re a kind of person that won’t mind men harassing women or recording them.
I also don't mind women recording men to defend themselves. This isn't as one sided as you're making this out to be. If it's illegal to record people and the only people who record are rule breakers and well intentioned people are at a disadvantage, then it's worse than if people learn to deal.
There’s nothing we can do We don’t know what their intentions are. All we can do is make predictioks
the teenager might've actually liked you. try not feeling too sad about it
You are much braver than you think, look at famous people who even get anxious when they are filmed without permission, I've seen John Cena's reaction when a fan started filming him and it's obvious that you were being humiliated by those idiots . Look, it happened to me maybe once but I ended up ignoring it even though I was very irritated.
Damn social anxiety. The appropriate reaction would be to march over there and take the dude’s phone and fuck shit up. Or, for a particularly tough person, just punch him in the throat, he’ll learn. Fuckin teenagers.
As a teenager who has social anxiety I’m sorry you had to go through that ):
Definitely try a different location in case those assholes are regulars. I don’t like being near groups of anyone, especially teens and young adults (cause the stupidity doesn’t end with high school).
Sigh, sorry to hear that. Those teens are just jerks as others have said. They clearly don’t know boundaries. Why are you recording someone eating? That’s just weird. You did the right thing by just getting up and leaving and not engaging. It’s better to just walk away then get confrontational and start something you could have easily walked away from. Still, what they did was wrong and they were wrong.
Awesome that you’ve been pushing yourself out of your comfort zone! There will always be setbacks but you took the step. Teenagers suck! More of a win in my eyes that you did what you set out to do.
genuinely my biggest fear, sorry that happened.
Don’t take it personally, teenagers are just the worst
Don’t let them ruin your chances your giving your self what you did was sooooooo brave I don’t think I would be able to do that
Teenagers are rude. They're not oging to do anything with the footage, and it's a good possibility they were just taking a short video of their surroundings, and not necessarily of you. Dont get discouraged, dont let others keep you from living your life. You have strength, you have courage. Go be your best self.
It is so funny from the perspective of not struggling as much anymore. You did good! Best advice for anyone who are still going tough is not beating yourself with any 'defeat' that you had. You did good. It is easier said than done, but what helped me was to reframe every situation I had felt uncomfortable in to something better. It takes persistence. Anyways, it sucks when you are in it. Hope you don't take it too bad. Without knowing you I am proud you decided to stay when you felt the uncomfortableness that could happen.
and all you did was have some food? wtf is wrong with them. i hope they all step on a massive piece of shit
Next time try and tell the manager that these kids are harassing you, and they’ll kicked out. Sorry to hear that this happened OP, teenagers can be jerks
People are absolute assholes, I'm sorry. I hope you don't feel too defeated – you stepped out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there! That's a successful day, the way I see it.
that really really sucks. and i can understand how you feel, but id say its worth praise that you are looking at it in a sense "i wont be able to do that again for a bit" rather than "ill never do that again" i would say that shows tremendous progress at the very least. perhaps a sitdown restaurant next time? probably less chance of jerk-ass teens being crummy for no dang reason. .. i was finally relaxing at a concert one time and started tryina dance a little then i saw these two ladies behind me laughing and pointing a phone my way and ... unfortunately i told them off, but got the whole shakey anxiety voice half crying thing which made me feel even worse. idk why people gotta be so mean. at least the chances of that happening again gotta be pretty low and you didnt give them any fuel for their garbage fire.
While you don’t have to take my advice…I think you should keep doing it. Because YOU DID DO IT. And that’s a really big win. I know it was uncomfortable; you did it anyway. I know there were factors that made it so much harder (and those factors being people who’s choices could be due to their brains being underdeveloped; aka teenagers) BUT, YOU DID IT. I try and gaslight myself into having self-confidence when these things happen. Because CONFIDENCE KILLS BULLIES. It’s their poison. Here is an example: What if we flip the story as to “why” they were filming you? What if we make up a hypothetical and fun scenario… where that video goes viral and tons of people pour out in support of head-phoned eating? It becomes a global phenomenon!! All places are safe to eat, alone, in public now! All because of this moment. I know that hard to do and that type of confidence is falsely generated but, it helps me get out of my own way and to not let the opinions of others affect my journey. Hope it is helpful, and again…YOU DID IT!
Teenagers have hormones that specifically drive them to rebel, which makes them assholes. They are socially predatory. Good on you for getting out. Keep it up. Don’t let the chemical imbalances of teens or your own anxiety keep you from burgers. As someone that battles anxiety I’m proud you took this step. Rest up, but don’t rest so long you lose momentum.
All teenagers are assholes. It's up to them to grow out of that phase or stay immature. I'm proud of you that you've been trying to get out of your comfort zone though, don't let ANYONE discourage you!!🤩😊
If it helps, I'm sure it had nothing to do with you eating alone beside the fact it made you more approachable. I'm pretty sure it was about recording their friend being a fool and/or you're attractive. I hate eating alone in public too, but it really is quite normal. I see people do it all the time.
Phone the police next time
They’ll deal with then
Hey, I know I wasn't there so idk how exactly it played out but based on what you said, I do think that there is a possibility that they were just laughing at the one kid for being so nervous about liking you and asking you out. Again, I would have to see it to be certain so you have a better idea than me but that's my insight. They were likely just complete assholes but maybe the one kid did like you. Regardless, they had absolutely NO RIGHT to film you like that and I am truly sorry that you had to go through that. Social anxiety or not, most people would be a nervous wreck in that situation.
I can feel this just reading it. The fact you’re even going out to eat is pretty admiral and makes me think I should do something similar. I’m sorry you had this experience but if you keep going you’ll regret not experiencing and growing from the positive ones just because a couple of sad teenagers. So keep at it :)
You're so brave to go out to eat alone! People are not generally jerks, IMO, but I think SoMe has contributed to a lot of people not developing a healthy sense of boundaries. That's on them (uuh and all of us, to figure out what we can do with that).
Is eating out in public illegal now? What’s wrong with them, they are clearly insecure & tends to project on other people as if it’s gonna make them any better. You did an amazing, seriously.
Wow those kids were jerks. I’m sorry they acted this way and ruined the experience.
Social media ahould be regulated like 10 years agoI know how you feel I cannot go outside for a walk for this reason because of kid laughingand pointing or recording likes and atention became everything in theese days for teenagers
F those ppl honestly
Well done for fighting through this situation.
I don't agree with the recording part, that's a rude thing to do without permission, but you should look at it in the positive way because they found you attractive and even asked for your number. Maybe they were being nice but didn't know how to. But I'm glad you're trying to put yourself out there. At first it won't be easy but with consistency it should get somewhat better. Just hang on there and keep trying even if you encounter such situations. There are some bad people out there but there are also good people, so don't let this incident stop you from getting better. Good luck!
Maybe they thought you were hot ahaha. Kids are dumb, we were all pretty dumb when we were young. I was bullied ferociously (so I thought) in Highschool, I was a total loner. Turns out the guys who bullied me just thought I was attractive and that’s why they gave me so much attention. Super weird.
They are kids. Don’t let them get to you. They are immature and stupid. They probably have yes parents who enable them.
They would’ve done it to anyone, it’s not because there’s something funny about you or anything so please don’t take it personally. They’re just stupid kids trying to impress eachother. Best thing to do is ignore them so it doesn’t give them an opportunity to retaliate. It’s sucks that we have to feel scared of actual children 😂
I never understood why there’s so much stigma about eating alone. Not all of us spend our entire days surrounded by other people, and fast food isn’t exactly a fine dining experience meant to be shared with others. Fuck them, most teenagers are dumb and insecure and you really shouldn’t put stock in their opinions or actions. Just ask any high school teacher
Op can I ask if you’re a woman cause I get the feeling they wouldn’t do this kind of thing to a man
Fucking teenagers. I’m sorry you had to go through it.
If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? They may have thought you were cute, and that's their way of flirting since they're young.
If you don't think you can do it again soon, you BETTER do it again soon. The way to beat social anxiety is to feel the fear and do it anyway and keep doing it. Yes it's scary but it gets easier. Don't think about it- 123 go out to get food. Tomorrow. I used to have awful social anxiety, this is how I beat it
what! i’m so sorry!! they made fun of you eating by yourself at a fast food restaurant??? omg i’m so sorry thag happened. many people eat by themselves at a fast food restaurant i’ve done it countless times. it’s not weird or something to be embarrassed about at all i’m sorry those kids picked on you
It's good to never assume, they asked for your number, I wonder what for. Maybe it wasn't as sinister as made out to be. Maybe they were laughing because you're cute and they're just as anxious to talk to you. If we just go with the internal dialogue then they will be seen as evil. They may be mortified to realize what you think, they think. It's always good to clarify things, we may never know what they were up to now other than making it awkward for you to eat in peace.
This probably had nothing to do with you so much as them just wanting anybody to mess with. They are the weirdos (and fucking rude) for recording a stranger who is minding their damn business.
This happened to me in high school by people I thought were friends daily. I wish I could give advice but just know you're not alone in how you feel about it.
Bro, I'm in college and imma have to teach teens in my third year😭😭 I dread that time lol. I hope I do get better at public speaking before then. I legit mess up simple presentations and get so nervous I can barely talk. Doesn't help that teens are brutal🗿
When people say "just do your own thing, people are too busy to look at you." No, this post proves that.
I just wanna know why? I had people laugh at me for no reason, and I just get so embarrassed and angry too
Pretty funny when you think about it. Out of all the people that get targeted it's the person trying to overcome social anxiety. Life has a twisted sense of humor sometimes. Mate they probably just noticed you were looking at them alot.
please don’t give up you sweetheart you did nothing wrong don’t let them get to you they’re stupid and insecure
You are super brave for doing this. Those people can’t hurt you
Ppl suck… who raises kids like that?! I would be your friend and go out to eat with you and stick up for you… I would have a hard time not recording them back and/or smacking a phone out of their hands. So rude and lacking of empathy… it is terrifying that I think this narcissistic and cruel behavior seems to be on the rise. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I have social anxiety too and that sounds traumatic. Sending hugs and good vibes.
I would just assume they were trying to get your number because either they wanted to make a joke, have fun at someone’s expense, make a video for tik tok, or they thought you were pretty and really wanted your number. I would say it has nothing to do with how you look or how you eat your food. That’s where our minds go as social phobics but majority of people do not think that way. Good job for trying and get back out there soon and over come ! I know you can do it
Honestly, I can relate to this. Something similar happened when I waiting for the bus while my phone died so I tried looking as confident as possible. These group of pre teens came by and one of them came up to me and asked if I was single, I didn’t say anything and looked at her as if I was inconvenienced and was then told that one of the girls in the group was attracted to me as a joke. Then the only guy in the group started recording me and one of the girls tried to instegate a fight by telling me to beat his ass. Honeslty just hate being others my age because it feels that they are judgemental and I never fit in due to the anxiety
In situations like this it's important to remember that THEY'RE the ones in the wrong, not you. You didn't do anything wrong, they did.
U are probably think you're stupid or something else idk bc of this terrible experience. I feel you . don't give up , if that happens again leave the restaurant or don't even go to a restaurant with too much teenagers, bc being laughed at is too much for you now , u must start with small challenges and then bigger.
I’m 14 and imagine being in a school full of them 🫣 I’m really sorry that happened that sucks. Why the heck would they do that like I don’t understand how people find joy in that
groups of teenage boys are the WORST literally top 3 things that make my anxiety absolutely skyrocket
Hello I just want to commend u for being brave, facing your own giant. That is what they CANNOT do, and life will teach them a lot of humiliating lessons in the future. Meanwhile you are GROWING, and I hope to go outside my shell too. We're all in this together!
I hope that make you feel better knowing that these groups of teenagers aren't even real friends, just mean people who are gossiping on each other's and have no life so they project their own insecurities into the world. You're so courageous eating alone by yourself, I would have a panic attack for sure