One of my friends keeps complaining that I don’t dance. I understand that it’s because she has anxiety and she wants me to go places with her and she likes dance clubs/bars. But it’s also really hard to extend empathy when the conversation is always
“We should come with me to x- oh, but you don’t dance”
“Yup”
“Whyyyy”
“I have anxiety”
“Just get over it! Nobody is watching, and they’re all a bunch of white transplants with no rhythm anyway, it’s fine”
“Anxiety isn’t rational”
*in a half joking tone*
“I hate you”
“I hate me too!”
Like. I get self conscious about WALKING and commuting on a day to day basis. I have a visible limp, poor balance, and I get people making snide comments whenever I don’t give my seat up for older people even after they see me take my meds. I’m also fat which makes me hypervisible and I’m just not very confident in my dancing which shows. I also don’t drink because of my meds. So why would I waste spoons by getting ready, making myself anxious, hiding said anxiety, forcing my autistic ass to socialize, and then sitting through a night of someone complaining i’m not dancing?
And it also sucks because I also wish I could dance! I wish I could do a lot of things that I can’t because of my multitude of illnesses/disabilities. I don’t CHOOSE to not do things that look really fun. I don’t CHOOSE to be tired all the time. I don’t CHOOSE to get self conscious because I can only wear one pair of shoes without worrying I’ll get some sort of injury.
This also isn’t unique- I feel like this friend just doesn’t hear the way they talk to me. They will make fun of my for things- which I can deal with but- then they turn around and ask me to trust them even though “other people” make me feel embarrassed to express certain things. As if they aren’t contributing to what makes me talk to them the way I do.
I don’t feel like I can say anything though because, as insensitive as they can be, they feel more fragile than I am so. I just have to deal with it for now.