50 Introverts Reveal The Incredible Lengths They've Gone To Avoid People

I am a high school teacher and use public transport. I intentionally take the earlier and later bus just to avoid meeting my students.

I've cancelled appointments with my therapist, because I didn't feel like interacting with people.
My therapy is for social anxiety.

Eighth grade I continued to go to detention for weeks rather than turn in a school project. It kept me from having to wander the hallways alone at lunch.

When I walk in the hallways alone before school, I would turn down a different hall if I saw a teacher coming towards me. It's not because I don't like them. I'm awkward when I'm only saying hello in passing!

Told my family I was going out shopping. Went out the back door, snuck back into my room. I stayed hidden in my bedroom for quite some time. Thankfully I had snacks because I didn’t fully think it thru. When I was ready to be social, I took some old shopping bags, filled them up a bit. Then I snuck back out the back door, walked around the front, and come in the front door with my bags of stuff. It was a good day.

I made a fake Fb page of one of my family members, updated a post that stated someone in our family seriously injured in an accident and sent it to someone that was asking for me to hang out with them. Told them I was very upset and needed time to myself.

Faked a seizure (I'm epileptic so it's not TOTALLY weird..)

The last time I went to a play by myself, I bought 3 seats - my own, and the two on either side of me so that no one would sit next to me.

Once I was at my bf's place and his friend dropped by unannounced. I didn't want to meet a new person that day so I hid in the closet 'till he left.

Back when I was 16 and I moved with my dad's new gf and she had 2 other kids , I didn't really have a problem with them but it felt like hell to make small talk, especially at the dinner table, so to avoid eating together I would come with an excuse like , I'm not hungry , I have eaten something bad earlier.
But the thing is , I was starving , an I endured it until everyone was asleep , and then I would've eaten what happend to be in fridge.

Super Introverted and get REAL awkward around people a majority of the time. An old friend I hadn’t seen in over a year came over, but also brought along her best friend (whom I’m assuming is as socially awkward as me). Both of them brought along their kids. After about a half hour of painful “conversation” it became deafening quiet. After a few minutes of the silence, my panic mode was at an all time high and I blurted out “HAVE ANY OF YOU GUYS GONE TO A PARK!?”... they both just stared at me and then said “..yes?”. I couldn’t wait until they left and I could lock my door and go crawl into my blanket fort and overthink that situation for the rest of the month. Even had to send an apology text later that night 😂 A fucking park? Ugh.

In the 6th grade, I had a science presentation to give but being my social fetus self I pretended to have laryngitis for a week instead of giving it. My mom only found out when she came home early one day and I was singing along to my CD player. She wasn't mad though because she also has social anxiety. When I actually have the presentation I almost fainted and had to cling onto a desk to keep from falling. Flash forward four years and I had a lead role in my school play. Yes, I'm introvert who likes the spotlight. We do exist.

Hitting the drive thru and eating in the parking lot

Going to a gym at 2am, seeing that there's one person inside, and waiting in the parking lot until he leaves.

Sometimes when I'm walking around where there are a lot of people, I will put the phone on my ear and make believe I'm having a full conversation with someone.

Recently, I sat in my car outside a restaurant where some of my friends were meeting. After about 20 minutes of this, I decided it was "too much" for me and just drove home.

I ate only a box of Nutrigrain bars in my dorm room over the course of a week because I was too uncomfortable to go to the cafeteria when I first went to college.

I was on vacation in Kazakhstan.
Saw a tourist information booth.
Started walking towards it until I saw it was manned and quickly turned away before they could help me

I started working at a new company a little over a year ago and became good friends with one of my coworkers. He invited me to his new years party and I said I would come and asked how many people there would be. He answered, "I dont know maybe 40?"
I was so worried about going that I ended up yelling my lungs out into a bundle of shirts in my car to tear my throat up so I could tell him I was to sick to go. I couldn't talk right for like 4 or 5 days after that.

At wedding receptions, I often hide in my car throughout the night, and will go inside to talk to people for 5-10 minute intervals throughout the night so that people will remember me as being there.