I'm the same way, actually. I've grown up being kind of 'literal' (lack of a better term) where I take everything for face value and ignore tones or context irl. Even if it's obvious they're joking around, just hearing the words kind of puts me down a level. It's a childish habit for me to get defensive when people act that way. I'm trying to find ways to grow out of it.
Response to OP: Yeah, I have anxiety, and I'm also an introvert (ISFP to be exact) It's not extreme by any means; it was much worse when I was in high school. But anxiety for me usually hinders my ability to sleep and eat, and even when I don't mean to, anxiety makes me like a frightened cat: I get defensive and feisty. I talked to my family doctor about it, and she prescribed me the lowest dose of Zoloft she could, instructing me to take half a pill for a week, then start taking full doses. I made it past the half-pill week fine, but the first day I took a full pill, my anxiety got worse :/ my boyfriend told me I was acting "really cracked out, and unusually emotional".
I've heard with anxiety meds that you're supposed to "tough out" the bad weeks until your body adjusts completely, but with a job (at the time). I'd rather take nothing.
Speaking of jobs, something that worked for me was actually getting a job that involved lots of people skills (in my case, I was at a restaurant as a hostess). At first, it was tough, but the customers were typically sweet or funny senior citizens (but I've had my bad days, a very angry woman spit in my ear once) and my coworkers were incredibly kind and supportive, giving polite advice when needed, and picking up conversations with customers when I froze up. Mileage varies here, though.
@
E-Mann
, I understand your situation about being spoiled by parents (as well as overprotection, and I've dealt with a
loooot of bullying too) I'm an only child to a single mom, so she was very doting and never really let me do chores (aside from the basic "clean your room and wash your own dishes", for the most part she did everything else because she didn't think I would get it right the first time, which kind of turned me into someone that always wants to get things right the first time... bad mentality. Failure is a part of learning), and didn't let me stay after school to hang with friends unless she met them first, which is incredibly embarrassing for someone at a high school age. Most of my social skills were picked up from my mother.
In a weird way, I consider myself a "socially late bloomer" in that my social skills need some real work. I'm very quiet, don't speak unless spoken to. But I've recently come to a realization that the tone I speak in is not a preferable tone. I sound like my mother (very accusing, dissatisfied-sounding even when happy, pointing out more negatives than speaking good words; in my boyfriend's terms, I "sound b****y"). I'm working hard to fix the way I speak, and even though many people don't believe natures or personalities can be changed, I know they can. I know I was a cheerful kid until I withdrew into a shell because I let the bullies win.
Sorry about my walls of text.
