unspeakablehorror | Disapproval Anxiety? (Reply)

I always feel this intense feeling of anxiety about saying things that displease other people. That was one major factor that used to prevent me from talking to people at all. But plenty of people still disliked me anyway when I didn't say anything, so that should have meant it wouldn't make a difference to me, right? Except I think it's just...if someone doesn't like me and doesn't know anything about what I think, it bothers me less than if they dislike me for some thought I have expressed through my words. I don't have nearly as much of an issue with speaking up as I used to, but I still feel this sense of dread anytime I say something that could potentially upset anyone, which of course is all the time, so that's...fun. And it doesn't even matter whether I think the disapproval is deserved or not, it just produces such an unpleasant feeling in me regardless.