Anyone else apprehensive around crowds these days?

[bif]

Maybe it was the pandemic that did it to me. But I just don't feel as comfortable around crowds as I used to. Yesterday I had to work at the Tiger's Opening Day. It was a huge crowd, as you'd expect. Lot's of drunks. And I just felt a little on edge the whole time. I was outdoors, so there was little chance of catching anything. Maybe this is the new normal for me. Thoughts?

[LuckyCharms]

1. Absolutely. n/t

[mitch96]

13. Same here... Large crowds are soft targets for wackos with guns. Also the covid thing...

I'm kind of a loaner anyway so it just makes sense to me...
m

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Me! (raising hand)

Not so much Covid anymore (although I still avoid indoor crowds, well, mainly theatres)

Now I’m thinking of gun violence….

[Irish_Dem]

8. Yes gun violence PTSD.

When I go somewhere I now make note of the exits in case an emergency arises.

[mitch96]

14. +1... Also if in a venue face the entrance and see what's coming your way...

It's a shame we have to be this way but it's survival techniques and common sense..
m

[Irish_Dem]

16. The GOP is deliberately creating a hostile, dangerous environment.

A frighted population is a docile, compliant one.

Putin is also thrilled, showing the world what a foolish, dangerous place the US is.
How democracy is a failure.

[mitch96]

21. A sad comment I heard.. "They ban books, They ban Drag, kids are still in body bags".. horrible

image in my mind but gets to the point..The gun lobbies don't care about your kids lives..
Like Carlin said. Protect them till they are born then fuck'em...
It's all about the money and power. To them, everything else is rubbish...
m

[Irish_Dem]

23. I heard that chant too. Should be standard at all protests now.

[Irish_Dem]

24. Protests about teenagers in body bags ended the Viet Nam war.

Maybe kids today can do it again.

[Irish_Dem]

3. I feel the same way. It is Covid PTSD.

I was in Krogers talking to a clerk the other day and she was sneezing and blowing her nose.
I became anxious.

It is a very legitimate PTSD because Covid is life threatening.

[Butterflylady]

4. Yes

However, it's not about catching anything it's more about the gun nuts.

[RussBLib]

5. Very apprehensive

Not to mention COVID is still out there and killing lots of people, but crowds also attract shooters. All it takes is one gunshot and a crowd of people can get scared and stampede, killing innocent people.

[Meadowoak]

6. I have since 2016. People became rude and hateful almost overnight.

I never saw that before then.

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. I've never been comfortable in crowds. Now they produce full on panic attacks.

[Backseat Driver]

9. I hear you. I once loved being an anonymous part of large open-air events: fairs, festivals,

sports spectator, holiday celebrations or parades, even shopping center window shopping...Now I last about 10 minutes before I want to go home...get-in; get out shopping. I even wonder about attending a small live concert at our burb's new amphitheater; TPTB instituted DORA events and then extended that "amenity" to all year, noon to 9PM - street drinking while no-rules CCW packing?

DORA - stands for Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area. You can now purchase an alcoholic beverage to-go, served in a special DORA cup from participating locations, and enjoy a beverage within the DORA boundaries as you head to a game or event.

[sarisataka]

10. No moreso than previously

I never have been a big fan of crowds

[Midnight Writer]

11. Went to a concert by one of my favorite artists a couple years ago.

There was a group of folks and the men were wearing holsters with pistols. They were drinking lots of beer and at one point a couple of them took their guns from their holsters and were handing them to each other, showing them off. All this in a crowded auditorium.

I'm sure they were "good guys with guns" there to protect us all. What could go wrong?

[Chakaconcarne]

12. Yeah, mostly because the general public annoys the shit out of me....

[davsand]

15. I've never been a fan of crowds.

However, I do feel even more anxiety now. Between the gun crazies, the "ammosexuals" fantasizing about being a "good guy with a gun" and any challenges to my weakened immune system, I have a definite fear whenever I go any place where there will be a bunch of folks. We all just came out of an extended period of being told to be afraid of anybody lest they give us a killer disease or else gun us down. I don't think that's gonna fade for me anytime soon.

It's become my new normal.



Laura

[wendyb-NC]

17. Yes, I am

I avoid them as much as possible. It's not a good feeling for me to be in a crowded environment. I get hyper alert, and my anxiety
gets elevated.

I just do not feel comfortable. I wear an N-95 mask in crowded indoor spaces, along with, going to places like Walmart, as the doors open on Sunday morning. Outdoors, I don't wear a mask the whole time.

[maxsolomon]

18. No.

I went to outdoor sporting events unmasked during the Pandemic (while my wife masked the whole time). I didn't catch Covid.

You should keep going until your subconscious mind relaxes and realizes there is no proximal threat. That is how I have overcome a fear of heights - repeated exposure.

[scarletlib]

19. Yes but it's because of guns,guns,guns everywhere

Last edited Fri Apr 7, 2023, 06:23 PM - Edit history (1)

[brooklynite]

20. Nope

Just flew to and from Istanbul. Spent two weeks traveling with a group. Everyone was vaccinated.

I'll wear a mask on the subway but not in most other locations.

[GuppyGal]

22. No. I'm vaccinated and up to date. I went to a fish swap a few weeks ago and

I don't even think about it anymore.

[Hortensis]

25. No. Not as fun, though, just knowing how many "good people" voted for tRump

to be able to resume and expand his (their) crimes against humanity. Not that they think of themselves that way at all, of course, but they've become too potentially dangerous for me not to.

[Buns_of_Fire]

26. I've seen how quickly a crowd can turn into a mob,

so I've never liked being in a crowd. I like it even less these days.

[Initech]

27. I regularly go to concerts and sporting events.

Doesn't bother me at all. I was at a music festival last weekend with my brother, who's in emergency medicine, and I don't think COVID or anything else came up once in conversation during the whole weekend.

[H2O Man]

28. Recommended.

I am, but to be honest, I always have been. As a young man, I was only comfortable with crowds when I was in the boxing ring. I was happy to be fighting in front of 5,000 people ..... but would have been uncomfortable sitting in that crowd. These days, I'm a hermit.

[Amishman]

29. Nothing new for me, I've hated crowds since my mid 20s

Perfectly happy to live in the woods in the middle of nowhere, and work from home as much as possible.

Crowds and cities are not for me; ugly stinky, noisy places.

[allegorical oracle]

30. During Covid got used to leaving my house only once every five days. Am a solitary person so

it wasn't that difficult. Plus, it saved gas, car wear and tear. Continue this practice. But have noticed I get more antsy about going to big box stores since all the shootings have occurred. Went to a Walmart a few weeks ago and seemed to look at other shoppers more closely than before. Makes me feel so sorry for what school kids and teachers must go through.

[bif]

31. Nice to know I'm not the only one!

[Maru Kitteh]

32. Yes but not for Covid, crowds make me nervous because GUNZ. nt

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

33. I've always been on edge in crowds

I have pretty severe claustrophobia to begin with, compounded by having asthma and allergies. So I've always worried about anything that threatens my air supply. Bodies piled in too close to me has always made me panic about having enough air.

But it got really bad when my thyroid went bonkers. By the time I (finally) got diagnosed with thyroid disease, mine was so huge it took around 4 hours to remove. It was everywhere, all the way around my neck up to my jawline, over my shoulder blades and down my chest in front to almost the bottom of my sternum.

Gee, I wonder why I was constantly out of breath...

Anyway, all those years of my out-of-control thyroid making it hard for me to breathe has made me permanently terrified about anything that threatens my access to air. That includes swimming, elevators, MRIs, and even my head under a blanket. Since my thyroid problem, I'm even more terrified of crowds than I was before.

COVID doesn't help there, either.