Self-Concious even when alone

[Megan99]

I have social anxiety along with my ocd. Sometimes even when I am alone I feel self-concious because I think, "what-if" someone was watching me at this moment. Or what if someone could read my embarssing thoughts. I dont actually believe it is true, I just compulsively imagine what that would feel like and I get really uncomfortable. Enough to make me think of something else or do something else. I was wondering if someone else expereinced and I looked it up. And someone had mentioned that this was common in people with schizotypal personality disorder. I wish I never read that. I am always worried about basically any disorder that starts with "schiz" and I feel stupid for searching this up. But I was wondering if anyone else experienced this feeling and could it be paranoia or something scary like that? Or can anxiety do the same thing?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, my GAD has done this to me for ages. It was one of my intrusive thoughts issues for a while too.

Paranoia & anxiety are often experienced together. I found paranoia came when my anxiety was at the worst stages. Much of my anxiety was about my environment and external elements like what people were thinking about me.

It's so common it was even in the CBT material we used at the self help groups. We had an example of negative thinking regarding judging other's thoughts about us when they looked at us and how they probably never even noticed us yet our minds were obsessing over whether they could see the anxiety we had inside.

[Megan99]

But is it normal to feel this way even when i am completely alone in my room?

[MyNameIsTerry]

I would have it around people or when alone. As my anxiety levels started to reduce, things like this also reduced.

It's definitely part of anxiety disorders. Like many symptoms in them, they can also be found in other disorders but the intensity differs and there are other symptoms along with it.

For instance, I've come across OCDers worrying about aliens or the paranormal. But they are still questioning everything in the way anxiety works, they aren't committed to a delusion.

[Megan99]

Ok! Thank you so much!