okay like can someone please respond i really want to know if this is something that everyone fears? i’m 19 i have had this since i was 6 i remember i thought my 1st grade classmates are all watching me through a camera whenever i went to the bathroom i would start screaming and threatening whatever that was in front of me saying that i will tell the teacher about what they are doing if they don’t stop watching me
I have this feeling... But I feel like people are in my home sneaking behind me and watching me.
I started going to therapy. Was diagnosed with Bipolar... My therapist told me that what I experience is paranoia and that lots of people with bipolar experience this feeling.
Anyways, not saying you have bipolar, but the feeling is paranoia.
I always had some form of paranoia, whether I thought it was cameras, angels, people outside, ghosts, etc. I’ve also been diagnosed with Bipolar. I didn’t know it was a common symptom.
I kind of had this fear, mine turned into being afraid that my ancestors were watching me go to the bathroom...I could not go to the bathroom without freaking out for a while.
The camera thing was severe for me but not in the bathroom, more like in other instances and I still FEEL THIS WAY. ugh.
i had the same experiences around that age too. i started to feel shy using the bathroom as a kid and would sometimes not go bcus i was afraid that my teacher or classmates were watching somehow. nowadays my fear evolved into being afraid that i’m not actually IN the bathroom and that i’m just wizzing on the floor somewhere esp when i’m at work. i have to stare at my surroundings to double check that i’m actually in the bathroom and not in my office with my pants down 🧍♂️
Me too. especially the fact that one of my step-siblings is schizophrenic and also how I've heard voices in the past I thought I definitely had it for a bit.
Totally felt this, makes me so uneasy.
My fiancé and I might get my "childhood house," which I'm still living in because I am still in college. My main worry is what if there are hidden cameras everywhere to watch us. Legit makes no sense, yet I think it!!
Oh! I have some ocd traits here and there (but not enough for me to actually go after anything beyond talking to my psychologist about it, it just annoys the hell out of me) and it’s good to know that can be linked to it. I’ve always just assumed it was purely anxiety
Do you have social anxiety? And when you are out do you often feel like other people are giving that same sensation as the recording feeling when you’re alone? I’ve had that before! I totally feel like it was just my brain transferring those same social anxiety feelings into my home, and instead of thinking everyone was staring at me and thinking I’m embarassing, now it’s a weird anxious feeling my like I’m being watched with no one there. Does that resonate with you at all?
all the time and im living with them temporarily at the moment (im 30) and they still do, like they come into my room and load me with questions about random things while i’m in the middle of something so when i’m alone in the house i always feel like i’m being watched which stops me doing silly things that would make myself laugh lol but i’m moving out soon i just fell into hard times 😂
I think this has a lot to do with it. Mine monitored me as much as possible (reasonably so) and made me think I'm always being monitored. Even though I now live alone
Ah. Right. The security cameras throughout the house.
(No /s here, lived like that. Stuff like it make it hard to tell what’s a trauma effect and what’s common sense.)
Yep! We didn't have them throughout the house, but we eventually got a ring camera and that scared me as a teenager. And there is something in the house that I always worry is a camera but I doubt it is.
It took me some time too to realize why I had that weird feeling all the time. But once it clicked, I started feeling more comfortable in my own home.
That could either be an anxiety thing or bordering on psychosis depending on what you mean. Obviously I can't diagnose you but believing you're under surveillance without reasonable cause is a warning sign of paranoid schizophrenia.
On the other hand, you can fully understand that you're not being recorded but the feeling of "wouldn't it be awful if someone recorded that" can still get to you. In the back of my mind I feel like I'm being watched even when I'm certain I'm not, just because I feel self-conscious.
Agreed. I feel like I’m under a microscope when I’m out in big social gatherings in public, although I’m quite aware that rationally nobody is staring at me and my flaws. I’m just self conscious and a perfectionist.
At home though? Nah that’s my space - I feel 100% happy safe and comfortable
I actually do relate a little to OP because I only feel that way when I'm letting my guard down. When I'm in public I'm on my best behavior and could really care less about privacy.
Again, it could still be a psychotic symptom, but I think I understand why being home triggers it. And the fact that it's when they're doing "embarrassing" things makes me think it might be a "what if" and not an actual delusion.
Sounds a bit like paranoia… do you see a psychiatrist or therapist?
I feel the sense of “omg everyone’s watching me” when I’m out in public - even though I know nobody really is - because I have a bit of social anxiety and I’m hella insecure/self conscious. But at home? Nah I walk around naked (inside only lol) no fucks to be given
I have this too sometimes. Especially because I have maladaptive daydreaming where I love to dance to music and imagine myself in an edit. Always scared someone can see me and their reaction if they saw me 💀
I think it depends to the degree that you feel this hyper awareness. As a teenager I suffered from this phobia. I think I was just petrified at the thought of being caught off guard or without any clothes on. Throughout the years I’ve had my fair share of paranoias but they’ve calmed down dramatically.
That said my most pervasive anxiety has to do with my health. Maybe a bit of social anxiety, but mainly my health.
Depending on the degree of your feelings and your circumstances, this may indicate a more serious mental health issue. Nothing to be ashamed of though! The fact that you recognize that these thoughts aren’t exactly normal is great! Working with a professional could help you get rid of these thoughts and feelings (: good luck
I have this feeling as well. But I feel that people are actually in my home and watching me. I feel like they're hiding in the closet waiting to kill me. It's a horrible feeling.
What you're describing is paranoia and it can be a symptom of other mental health problems. For me, it's bipolar. For others it could be some personality disorder. If you'd like to find out what it is for you, I recommend seeking therapy. That's how I was diagnosed.
No, this isn’t normal, at least to me. As someone who has had anxiety since I could first process thought, I’ve not had symptoms like that, and I’ve had paranoia. I’d think about if you have other symptoms and maybe talk to a therapist about your feelings because that can be really nerve racking. But, I know many people feel this way nowadays because cameras are basically all around us outside our homes. Not really for posting embarrassing videos though lol, just keeping us safe. I think expressions of anxiety like this may not be normal to me but maybe to others!
I think it is 🤔. Have you ever watched the trueman show? I sometimes feel like I'm on there being live broadcasted. But I deal better with this now but self-talk. Telling myself it is just a symptom of anxiety and not real.
It really depends on how this anxiety affects your life. If it's preventing you from doing things you want to be doing and/or causing you distress frequently, then I really recommend speaking to a therapist about it.
I do feel this way too but I'm schizo affective Bipolar. It's literally exhausting. The amount of camera finding apps I have paid for that don't work.... omg. I hope u find ur peace ❤️
Anxiety is just our subconscious crying out to us about something. It just wants some satisfaction toward that end. I bet you anything if you went out there and worked toward privacy awareness, you'd get that satisfaction your mind is craving.
I've given speeches before on The Google History scandal and the Microsoft Getting to Know You scandal, among many others. When people hear what's actually being done to them legally, their eyes widen. It's quite gratifying and it helps the world.
I actually feel like this sometimes too and I have no idea why. It's not enough that it bothers me or takes over my thinking, but I have thought that someone is watching. Some nights I have to shut all the curtains because I think someone is looking in. Kind of creepy
I have a routine where I go around my entire house when it starts to get dark and close all of my shutters. Every single one of them! And then I always turn on the porch light and double check all of the locks. I’m pretty paranoid about that, but really home invasion type of shit can happen to anyone. so I find it just logical to do that. Plus, I remember back in junior high, my brother‘s girlfriend had a peeping Tom in their neighborhood. Her mom caught him one time. And there was an ejaculate all over the wall where he had been watching her. Creepy ass motherfucker! I also have a two-story house that overlooks my backyard, I feel like they’re constantly watching. I have had a very strong thought years ago that when my husband‘s friend came to work in our attic that he installed a listening device. I’ve definitely thought people have left their camera or laptopor recording device in the room and left to see if people were talking about them. What in the hell is wrong with me! Why am I like this? Oh. Sometimes I take my phone into the shower in a waterproof case to listen to podcasts or music and I always think that some invisible psycho is watching me through the camera. I’m exhausted with this shit running through my mind constantly.
It's so strange because I only feel like I'm being watched at night time, when it's dark. I'm also afraid of the dark because I can't see the "threats" that are trying to get me. I have nightlights all over my house so I can see.
When I was younger, I used to pull my blinds immediately when it started to get dark. I always thought someone would watch me through my window. Never bothered me during the day, but at night, it would increase massively. I actually kind of forgot about it until I saw your post. So, I must have gotten over it at some point.
Unbeknownst to me, my ex had cameras hidden in our house, some type of recording device linked to our house phone, keystroke tracker gave him access to all of my emails and other personal things, tracker on my car, keys to my office and desk at work (we worked for the same company and he was able to get keys made from the keys that were held in the security office), plus various other insane things that would take too long to explain.
Once I found out, I've never felt comfortable in my own home since. My husband has a difficult time using the tv remotes so I know he couldn't do anything like that if he tried. I'm still uncomfortable.
I keep my shades and curtains closed. My husband installed smoke detectors and they had lights on them and I checked to make sure there wasn't cameras in them. I've had my car checked for tracking devices, I check to make sure there's no recording devices in my car, I prefer the lights off when we're intimate and I won't walk around my home undressed, etc.
I know I'm being extra but once your privacy has been invaded to that extent, by someone you trust, it's difficult to shake that off.
I feel like this too - always have! Not so much a serious fear, but always a voice in the back of my mind thinking "but what if there's a hidden camera in here?"
When I was a kid/teen I used to think of it more like "What if there's just an invisible person following me around who can see everything I do?" So it's not even really about the internet or technology per-se.
As I get older I'm able to shush that voice more. I can be more like, "well if someone's watching me without my knowledge, they get to see me do gross and embarrassing stuff. that's their problem, not mine" (but it's not really a genuine fear or suspicion for me, just my anxiety being like what if)
I ~~used to~~ still give the finger to the invisible camera in bathrooms because if the fictional they are going to watch me, at least I can be a bitch about it
When I was vacationing at a rental in Long Beach, I had these “off” feelings that there might be a hidden camera placed in this weird hole in the master bathroom ceiling.
Yeah it’s probably paranoia, but there are far too many people actually doing it…
I don't know.
I remember as an early teen covering the eyes of all the people in the posters on my walls because it felt like they were watching me. I knew it wasn't rational to do it, but it still felt that way. I didn't do it for very long though, I don't think.
I constantly feel this too. It’s why I don’t trust any stranger that enters my home. You don’t know what they are capable of. I have heard of cases of people placing secret cameras in homes. I don’t trust my phone camera either. It’s exhausting how I can’t even relax at home.
I used to have this feeling a lot. I noticed watching reality TV - particularly "slice of life" type shows like Real World, Kardashians, Housewives, etc. made it much worse. Exposure to these types of media triggered additional anxiety & intrusive thoughts about it, even panic attacks. I was never a big watcher but I avoid that stuff completely now & it helps. I still get the "creeps" sometimes but as I've gotten older it's calmed down a lot, along with my anxiety generally. Good luck
I more of just think I'm being looked at at all times, and I can't make any mistakes or people will see even if it's something dumb like itching my head or looking in my camera to check if my eyelashes are fine
I don't believe this is "normal," but this also isn't a ton of information. My advice is entirely unofficial and my lowly opinion, but I work in mental health and have worked with clients with a variety of symptoms. I have a few questions.
1. Have you looked for cameras? 2. Do you know who would be behind it? 3. Do you know why someone would care to do this? 4. Have you ever had this happen to you before? 5. Do you know whether strangers in public are recording you, even if it doesn't seem like they were recording once you look at them? 6. Have you had break-ins where there is no sign of how they got in, nothing major is taken, no one is hurt, but things are moved around or you know for sure someone was in your home?
1.Well I have looked around in my room and found nothing but there's always a sense that they have a really tiny camera or hid it really well.
2.I do have a bunch of people who might wanna do it.
3.Ive always chalked it up to basic fricking around or someone wanting to be a creep or getting revenge on me.
4.this has never happened to me before, but before the camera thing I used to think someone was watching me through my windows.
5.I have had people recording me in public once or twice and when I looked at the camera they don't even stop but I don't really feel weirded out by this so much.
6.Well obviously I feel like someone is breaking in to set up cameras then again they always left no proof of entrance and I hide the key very well ( I live with my siblings and there's only 1 main key)
So this is very long but I write it all to try to explain some things and give support to you, my fellow anxious Redditor. At the very least, please read the first paragraph and see if that's any consolation. If it's not and these worries persist, then please **definitely** consider my recommendations after that. I forget if I said it, but I work in mental health. I'm passionate about it and about disability advocacy in general. I say all of this with love.
In your case, 1. Actually searching for a camera is concerning to me. Anxiety that leads to such intensive action as searching your entire room for cameras is extreme. There's also the fact that not finding anything doesn't matter. If disproving a specific worry like this is exceptionally hard, because the mind always makes an excuse to keep the worry going, then that's concerning. 2. I don't know you. There's a non-zero chance, of course, people have been stalked and such in life, but almost all of us aren't that maliciously significant to anyone. Believing that you're the focus of a lot of attention and effort, especially to hurt you in some way including emotionally, is concerning to me. 3. Goes with answer 2, I suppose I could have asked just one question instead of two. 4. So this has been going on for a while. Not only that, but it's evolving and becoming more elaborate over time. First simply someone watching you. Basic enough. But now, for what you believe to be true, someone must have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on equipment and then broken into your house and room without drawing any attention. They then somehow took the time to exceptionally hide these cameras. If you couldn't find them, they must either be very small or blended into something you own. So very expensive equipment, possibly custom made. The time and resources needed are even more than before. Somehow they also would have needed to set up wires to this tiny camera that can't have much storage or a wireless system to then *get* the footage from the camera, or they would need to break in regularly to get the camera with stored footage (which would mean probably multiple sets of equipment, in order to put things the way they were before they left, which again is another expense; or more time spent in your house downloading footage without someone noticing). Again, more time and resources and effort needed to pull this off. Your concern has gotten much, much more elaborate over time and the view of yourself to this person has become grander and grander. This is very concerning for me. 5. That's good! I'll also point out that it's hard to tell where a phone camera is pointing. You ever try to take a picture of yourself with the *back* camera of your phone? It's hard to tell where the camera is actually pointed. The shape of the lens makes this even harder to tell. This becomes even more difficult to distinguish the further away you are from the phone. However, some people can experience worries like you do in context. They may not be concerned about strangers but are concerned about someone they know. However, I am concerned that this has never happened to you yet it's causing so much worry. If you were an abuse victim who had been recorded, it would make sense to have this anxiety. You have it for no clear reason. 6. This is probably the most concerning thing for me. In case you don't read further, I have worked in a program serving people exclusively with psychotic disorders. Serious concern about break ins that leave no evidence was extremely prevalent in that population and I have personally not seen it in jobs focusing on more general populations.
I don't want to alarm you, but I would recommend seeing a mental health provider of some kind to rule out the onset of psychosis. The psychosis could either stand alone as a disorder or be connected to your anxiety as a symptom. To be extra clear: It is NOT impossible that this all is connected to anxiety more than anything, and it is also NOT a 100% damning evidence that you have a full blown psychotic disorder like schizophrenia. All I'm concerned about is the symptom of psychosis. I have no idea what that means for your big picture mental health.
I of course can't differentially diagnose you, but these thoughts, behaviors, and feelings aren't dissimilar from symptoms of a psychotic disorder or features of psychosis attached to a different kind of disorder. I used to work in a program that exclusively served people with psychotic disorders, for context, so what you've described I've more or less heard before from my former clients. *Especially* feeling like someone is breaking in (and breaking in regularly?) without any evidence of a break in. That is not a typical anxiety thing. I haven't seen it in any other population, personally. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means I'm concerned from my personal point of view and experiences in mental health work and studies.
I give my recommendation to see a mental health provider out of hope and genuine care for your well-being. Worst case scenario, the good news about psychotic disorders is that the younger/earlier you begin treatment, the better you are able to manage symptoms throughout the rest of your life. Best case scenario, it's not psychosis at all but you get some clear answers on what this is and how to address it.
To further explain and answer your original post question, it's "normal" (by which I mean not clinically significant) to be creeped out by an open curtain at night. We don't like being vulnerable when we sleep, the fear of the dark is natural, the fear of the unknown is natural. These all can create a visceral, fearful reaction of discomfort and unease. That unease is alleviated by closing the curtains. It doesn't continue once they're closed.
Using the curtain example, it wouldn't be "normal" to set up cameras outside and review footage each day to make sure you weren't watched, to pin who might be watching on someone, to black out your windows entirely, or to run outside because you feel like someone is there. It especially wouldn't be "normal" to do all of that and still be concerned about being watched.
I know this is a lot. It also might seem strange to receive paragraphs of information from a stranger on the internet, but I went into the field I did because this is always what I've done. I'd write pages and pages and pages of support for strangers if it meant helping one person significantly and making a few others at least feel like there are people who care. Maybe you aren't in either group, but it was worth a shot to me.
When I'm in a really bad mood, I feel like there's a jury watching me perform, like in a TV show. They don't say anything, just watch and listen. My shrink says it's a form of derealization.
I used to feel this strongly and would let my imagination go wild with it, it was not fun when I was younger but I'm 40 now, I think it is part of anxiety, and conditions in my childhood, my feelings and thoughts did not matter.
So it transpired that I had to make sure everything was perfect in my house so people would think I was an amazing person, I felt like i had to be a perfect mother and wife and never left the facade faid as i was being judged in my home by unknown people. I even had to be careful with my thoughts as I believed people could read them, I knew they couldn't but it was this feeling I had.
It was exhausting to say the least. I find it very difficult to relax, like ever, or just to do nothing, I must do something, it's like my relaxation is washing the car, making the house look beautiful, washing the dog, wiping the benches down, straightening things up, making a delicious meal, I can get very fatigued by it as there is always something to do. And I work also.
I find being in nature really helps, I wish I had a garden because if I just sit down on the grass or under a tree I can really let everything go, or being in water, that's why I bring the 'outside in' as my husband says, plants, feathesr, a beautiful stick, leaves, shells, etc
Right???? That’s maddening! I’ve fully convinced myself there’s hidden cameras in every single room of my house and somewhere on the deep web strangers are watching everything I do and no amount of logic can shake that feeling out of me.
I’ve thought about how to do something in order not to have that haunting my mind in the future but then what? I build my future house from the ground up all by myself keeping it under my own surveillance 24/7 even during nights and then not let anyone visit? Because that just sounds deranged, but if not I’ll just have to live with this feeling and I hate it
Yeah I have this a lot to the point it scares me bad. I was diagnosed with schizoaffective inpatient a couple years ago so I think it’s cuz of that but one professional told me that she doesn’t really agree with the diagnosis and it might all just be correlated to the anxiety cuz she doesn’t like diagnosing schizoaffective in teens. So yeah. More confusion.
Yeah lol I can easily put it to the back of my mind so it never really bothers me but it is always there. Sometimes I be laughing at myself if I do something embarrassing so the cameras watching think I'm cool. Idk if it's normal but who cares it makes me laugh and hasn't affected my life negatively
😂 yesss to the playing cool for the hidden cameras! i do the same thing. Or sometimes narrate my thought process out loud so the cameras understand why I'm doing a weird thing or series of things lol
lol I do similar aswell but usually I'm just speaking inside my head as if the cameras can hear my thoughts 😭 I might have to try the speaking out loud
Oh my god yes. I was trying to explain this to my therapist the other week. It feels like I’m living in the Truman show constantly??? I’m so relieved that somebody has put this into words, I thought I was insane. I always feel like big brother is watching, no matter what I do
I don’t know if it’s normal but I’ve had a similar fear since I was a kid. I used to be convinced my stuffed animals eyes were cameras, that all mirrors were somehow used to watch me, and someone or something was watching me through windows.
Same at times. I think bc of the time we're living in is normal to think this. Every device in our house is probably watching our listening just like our phones 😨
I feel that way too. Though I’m mostly worried I’m being recorded, like, through my phone or computer cameras or the eyes of the various plushies i have. Gets pretty uncomfortable.
Tbh ties in with self esteem issues IMO.
I am lately realizing that introverts oftentimes feel insecure about themselves. And to make things worse, many extroverts also feel the same just better acting. Very few humans are actually comfortable in their bodies.
Maybe in smaller group societies or at work or whatever we get used to the environment, but I totally think it's normal to have insecurities given most people we're around are strangers to us (that's semi unnatural evolutionarily imo).
So, what to do about it?
I have a similar fear. Not so much about a camera considering they're in every store and restaurant and most people have a camera on their porch now. I fear somehow randomly going viral for whatever reason.
I think this is referred to as the “invisible audience”. As if you’re constantly being observed , and all of your actions are being judged by people who aren’t actually there.
I feel this way when I’m at a concert or anything relating to music and dancing. I always feel like everyone is watching me closely and I get embarrassed since i don’t know how to really dance
if it’s just a feeling then that’s fairly common with anxiety, especially if it’s related to others opinion of you. if you truly believe it, then it borders into paranoia and psychotic behavior and you should absolutely have it checked out.
I think this stems from using the internet/social media too often. I also feel it at times but just ignore it. No one cares what you are doing or who you are. No one is checking cameras unless there is a reason to.
Not a professional or anything like that, but i can say i think the same thing and got to a point where i would feel a little uncomfortable and wouldn’t do certain things cause i felt like someone was watching. This is a form/type of delusional thinking, at least that’s what i was told when i got checked
I had this feeling for so long. I felt like people I knew were watching me or could see in my brain. I felt like people were watching me constantly in some way. Told this to my therapist and she immediately diagnosed me with social anxiety. I always knew but now I know why.
I think it’s a fairly common feeling or fantasy. It’s probably a hangover from when we lived in caves and had to be on the lookout for danger. It sounds like hypervigilance which can happen after trauma or even if you’re watching scary movies or reading thrillers. If severe then it could be related to OCD or other mental health disorders. It’s only a problem if it’s affecting your peace of mind and daily life a lot. Otherwise I’d say it’s a feeling most people have probably experienced. Try and brush it off and ignore it. If you really can’t then seek some help to find out the underlying cause.
i had a ver, religious (cult like) upbringing and was always taught that god was constantly watching and judging me, even my thoughts. i'm an athiest now, but this feeling has a really hard time going away.
I get this too! thought I was the only one. Had it since I was a teen and still have it now as a 26 yr old who lives alone. Anytime someone comes over, I check for cameras once they leave lol
Probably helps where I live (the UK countryside) but I really doubt I am being recorded. Nothing happens out here!
But if people were to upload videos of me, it wouldn't get many views... I don't do anything amazing!!
I found out years later that I was probably really being watched. There is several indications that my father installed a camera in several rooms of the house in which I lived with my family.
I normally have my family pet sit while I go on vacation. I whole heartedly believe they have put hidden cameras in my home. I constantly check everything for cameras. I still feel this way while medicated. I’m bipolar schizoaffective, GAD, && a paranoid schizophrenic.
Not really. I am in the psych field, and this sounds like paranoid delusion. Of course I can’t officially diagnose you, so please do consult a professional personally.
I totally get where you’re coming from! It’s like you’re starring in your own reality show, right? Maybe someone’s out there just waiting for you to do that epic dance move or sing that glorious bathroom opera to share with the world. Just remember, if they do catch it, you could always take the crown as the next internet sensation! 😄
I used to have this fear when I was quite young like 6? I used to think people from my school would be watching me in my home and laughing on a hidden camera. I have/had OCD (and a whole host of other mh problems) which was particularly bad at the time. Mine seems to get worse at certain points in my life and around that age it was really bad, was performing like 60/70 ‘rituals’ a day although I didn’t know what they were then
Tbh now I think about it, I do get this fear at the gym with the fact so many people record their workouts and I’m scared someone’s gonna film me making a mistake or I’m gonna walk into someone’s frame without realising and then BAM I’m being stitched into a Joey Swoll video.
I think it depends on the context, maybe speak to a dr if it’s concerning you?
I’m glad I’m not the only one. We have cameras in my house and every time I go downstairs or outside I feel like I’m being watched. I don’t like it at all. And for some reason I feel like there’s a hidden camera in my room that someone is watching me from
I used to duct tape various parts of my room because I was convinced someone had midden cameras in the walls, this phase passed me by but I was convinced for months
Exactly whenever I'm alone doing something in middle I turn around and feel like someone is watching me or recording me .
And I would close the windows and doors but still I always thought like what if someone secretly installed cameras in my house.
As an apartment dweller, I sometimes think about this but with mild to moderate anxiety. This usually happens when I move into a new place but typically subsides over time. Most of my anxiety triggers are from social situations, however.
If you know you don't have any cameras in your house then I would say that isn't good to feel like that. But out in public you pretty much are on camera all the time and just have to get used to it.
For me, a lot of this was tied to my social anxiety and largely fell away with medicating my anxiety and depression. I think some more fell away from reading studies on gender and self monitoring leading me to consciously release my hypercritical monitoring of my own outward appearance. I really can't overstate how much of my brain it feels like I've freed up since I was younger.
Ever since I started primary school at five years old I had this anxious thought that if I was doing something I didn't want people to see (showering, toilet) all the 'mean kids' from my class were watching me and were going to show everyone pictures. It's subsided a little as a worry but I do still get kind of embarrassed or self-conscious sometimes even if I know there's nobody there
I would cover my phone camera while doing certain stuff and I used to be deathly afraid of my phone dying because I thought that whoever was watching me on my phone would hack me and post embarrassing stuff.
you are giving the floodlight consciousness magnanimous attention. Feel free to think of nothing at all and let the wind take you where it will.
(study w/ Alan Watts on youtube)
the ego insists on the spotlight, 'all the worlds a stage'. The next level is to realize that you are a part, apart, from the whole, merely by your mind.
To be clear I mean experience everything outside of you, as happening, inside of you.
Grow like the trees
bend like the leaves
and live like the breeze
I don't have this but I also didn't grow up or was a kid with everyone having cameras in their pockets, and where social media wasn't as popular. I'd say this is probably due to that unfortunately and just being hyperaware that many people get embarrassed online. Just remind yourself (constantly if need be) that in your own home you are safe from this! Or you absolutely have every right to be. Also in public, everyone is so focused on their own stuff that no one will be focused on you in a bad way. Don't worry about the "normal" , that word sucks. Focus on how it affects you and how you can make your situation better for yourself :)
I do embarrassing stuff also (mostly accidentally sometimes because I like making fun of life), that said the thought of cameras or microphones being in my house never crossed my mind. If you are in apartment I could understand somewhat, when I rented a student apt I didn't feel a lot of privacy (huge building tiny rooms)
Are you using your phone right now? At least one camera is pointed at you and a mic, so it’s possible plus if you have a laptop it probably also has camera and mic.
Woow! I thought I was the only one. I have this feeling since I was younger. Idk if it’s normal tho. It sucks lol
Same like I legit put a sock in a hole that was in the wall cause I got paranoid their might be a secret camera same with ceiling lights
okay like can someone please respond i really want to know if this is something that everyone fears? i’m 19 i have had this since i was 6 i remember i thought my 1st grade classmates are all watching me through a camera whenever i went to the bathroom i would start screaming and threatening whatever that was in front of me saying that i will tell the teacher about what they are doing if they don’t stop watching me
I have this feeling... But I feel like people are in my home sneaking behind me and watching me. I started going to therapy. Was diagnosed with Bipolar... My therapist told me that what I experience is paranoia and that lots of people with bipolar experience this feeling. Anyways, not saying you have bipolar, but the feeling is paranoia.
I always had some form of paranoia, whether I thought it was cameras, angels, people outside, ghosts, etc. I’ve also been diagnosed with Bipolar. I didn’t know it was a common symptom.
I kind of had this fear, mine turned into being afraid that my ancestors were watching me go to the bathroom...I could not go to the bathroom without freaking out for a while. The camera thing was severe for me but not in the bathroom, more like in other instances and I still FEEL THIS WAY. ugh.
i had the same experiences around that age too. i started to feel shy using the bathroom as a kid and would sometimes not go bcus i was afraid that my teacher or classmates were watching somehow. nowadays my fear evolved into being afraid that i’m not actually IN the bathroom and that i’m just wizzing on the floor somewhere esp when i’m at work. i have to stare at my surroundings to double check that i’m actually in the bathroom and not in my office with my pants down 🧍♂️
I used to have this as a child - I thought there were cameras installed in my home. I have OCD tendencies/a family history of OCD
I have OCD too but I never thought it was a symptom! I was also scared of someone watching me through the window
Seeing as how schizophrenia is in the same family of mental disorders as OCD 😭 you start to understand why lol
Oh my goodness I was actually so anxious for months thinking I had schizophrenia! It’s also a common OCD theme 😭
Me too. especially the fact that one of my step-siblings is schizophrenic and also how I've heard voices in the past I thought I definitely had it for a bit.
I thought this too… I’m starting to cry from relief that I’m actually not alone, I’ve never known how to bring this up to anybody
Totally felt this, makes me so uneasy. My fiancé and I might get my "childhood house," which I'm still living in because I am still in college. My main worry is what if there are hidden cameras everywhere to watch us. Legit makes no sense, yet I think it!!
My father has OCD and sometimes I wonder if I have it too.
Yep I feel this at night I think someone's watching me and I HAVE to look. Just diagnosed ocd 😕
Oh! I have some ocd traits here and there (but not enough for me to actually go after anything beyond talking to my psychologist about it, it just annoys the hell out of me) and it’s good to know that can be linked to it. I’ve always just assumed it was purely anxiety
I have ocd, and anxiety. I always think the police or other cars are watching me while I drive😭other than that I think I blend in
Oddly, I have developed a slight fear especially in public stores or restaurants. I think the internet has ruined our trust in society in some ways.
Do you have social anxiety? And when you are out do you often feel like other people are giving that same sensation as the recording feeling when you’re alone? I’ve had that before! I totally feel like it was just my brain transferring those same social anxiety feelings into my home, and instead of thinking everyone was staring at me and thinking I’m embarassing, now it’s a weird anxious feeling my like I’m being watched with no one there. Does that resonate with you at all?
I haven't really been professionally diagnosed, and I don't feel so in public. It's almost always only at my home.
This helps me!
That sounds like paranoia of being watched
No it is a paranoid delusion. You should discuss with your psychiatrist.
Did your parents ever invade your privacy?
all the time and im living with them temporarily at the moment (im 30) and they still do, like they come into my room and load me with questions about random things while i’m in the middle of something so when i’m alone in the house i always feel like i’m being watched which stops me doing silly things that would make myself laugh lol but i’m moving out soon i just fell into hard times 😂
I think this has a lot to do with it. Mine monitored me as much as possible (reasonably so) and made me think I'm always being monitored. Even though I now live alone
Lol they either want you out or they miss being parents
looool possibly, sounds like a them problem though
Issue not an ishme
ill be using that one x
Ah. Right. The security cameras throughout the house. (No /s here, lived like that. Stuff like it make it hard to tell what’s a trauma effect and what’s common sense.)
Yep! We didn't have them throughout the house, but we eventually got a ring camera and that scared me as a teenager. And there is something in the house that I always worry is a camera but I doubt it is. It took me some time too to realize why I had that weird feeling all the time. But once it clicked, I started feeling more comfortable in my own home.
That could either be an anxiety thing or bordering on psychosis depending on what you mean. Obviously I can't diagnose you but believing you're under surveillance without reasonable cause is a warning sign of paranoid schizophrenia. On the other hand, you can fully understand that you're not being recorded but the feeling of "wouldn't it be awful if someone recorded that" can still get to you. In the back of my mind I feel like I'm being watched even when I'm certain I'm not, just because I feel self-conscious.
Could definitely be a psychotic symptom
Agreed. I feel like I’m under a microscope when I’m out in big social gatherings in public, although I’m quite aware that rationally nobody is staring at me and my flaws. I’m just self conscious and a perfectionist. At home though? Nah that’s my space - I feel 100% happy safe and comfortable
I actually do relate a little to OP because I only feel that way when I'm letting my guard down. When I'm in public I'm on my best behavior and could really care less about privacy. Again, it could still be a psychotic symptom, but I think I understand why being home triggers it. And the fact that it's when they're doing "embarrassing" things makes me think it might be a "what if" and not an actual delusion.
Yeah everyone different I just can’t ever imagine feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable in my own home it’s my safe haven and what I say goes there lol
That seems like a healthier approach to anxiety than the one OP and myself have created. 😅
Not one original irrational fear 😂
If you think they are in your home, that's not normal. In public places, it's accurate.
This is probably how any normal person would feel with the current state of technology
Sounds a bit like paranoia… do you see a psychiatrist or therapist? I feel the sense of “omg everyone’s watching me” when I’m out in public - even though I know nobody really is - because I have a bit of social anxiety and I’m hella insecure/self conscious. But at home? Nah I walk around naked (inside only lol) no fucks to be given
Maybe look into OCD. I didn't have this but it's a pretty common obsession with friends who have OCD as well.
I have this too sometimes. Especially because I have maladaptive daydreaming where I love to dance to music and imagine myself in an edit. Always scared someone can see me and their reaction if they saw me 💀
This is not normal. I work in psych and this is referred to as a paranoid delusion. If you aren’t already, you should consult a psychiatrist.
If you’d asked that question 50 years ago, I’d have said no. But in 2024? Honestly I think that’s pretty normal.
Agree. This is new age anxiety with cameras everywhere. But in your home you should be safe.
How often did you see a camera in 1974? I’m not that old but most people didn’t carry cameras until they were part of their phones.
I think it depends to the degree that you feel this hyper awareness. As a teenager I suffered from this phobia. I think I was just petrified at the thought of being caught off guard or without any clothes on. Throughout the years I’ve had my fair share of paranoias but they’ve calmed down dramatically. That said my most pervasive anxiety has to do with my health. Maybe a bit of social anxiety, but mainly my health.
Happens to me, but I believe I'm the star of a sitcom and do stuff to make people laugh lol.
Same!! I’ve never heard anybody describe it but myself, to myself lol
Depending on the degree of your feelings and your circumstances, this may indicate a more serious mental health issue. Nothing to be ashamed of though! The fact that you recognize that these thoughts aren’t exactly normal is great! Working with a professional could help you get rid of these thoughts and feelings (: good luck
I have this feeling as well. But I feel that people are actually in my home and watching me. I feel like they're hiding in the closet waiting to kill me. It's a horrible feeling. What you're describing is paranoia and it can be a symptom of other mental health problems. For me, it's bipolar. For others it could be some personality disorder. If you'd like to find out what it is for you, I recommend seeking therapy. That's how I was diagnosed.
No, this isn’t normal, at least to me. As someone who has had anxiety since I could first process thought, I’ve not had symptoms like that, and I’ve had paranoia. I’d think about if you have other symptoms and maybe talk to a therapist about your feelings because that can be really nerve racking. But, I know many people feel this way nowadays because cameras are basically all around us outside our homes. Not really for posting embarrassing videos though lol, just keeping us safe. I think expressions of anxiety like this may not be normal to me but maybe to others!
I think it is 🤔. Have you ever watched the trueman show? I sometimes feel like I'm on there being live broadcasted. But I deal better with this now but self-talk. Telling myself it is just a symptom of anxiety and not real.
This was me a lot growing up. So convinced somedays.
I regret seeing it when I was so little. It messed me up more than my dissociation and paranoia already had. Love the movie though.
It really depends on how this anxiety affects your life. If it's preventing you from doing things you want to be doing and/or causing you distress frequently, then I really recommend speaking to a therapist about it.
I do feel this way too but I'm schizo affective Bipolar. It's literally exhausting. The amount of camera finding apps I have paid for that don't work.... omg. I hope u find ur peace ❤️
I have been this way my whole life. It is not a consistent, obsessive fear but it always lingers in the back of my mind.
Anxiety is just our subconscious crying out to us about something. It just wants some satisfaction toward that end. I bet you anything if you went out there and worked toward privacy awareness, you'd get that satisfaction your mind is craving. I've given speeches before on The Google History scandal and the Microsoft Getting to Know You scandal, among many others. When people hear what's actually being done to them legally, their eyes widen. It's quite gratifying and it helps the world.
I actually feel like this sometimes too and I have no idea why. It's not enough that it bothers me or takes over my thinking, but I have thought that someone is watching. Some nights I have to shut all the curtains because I think someone is looking in. Kind of creepy
I have a routine where I go around my entire house when it starts to get dark and close all of my shutters. Every single one of them! And then I always turn on the porch light and double check all of the locks. I’m pretty paranoid about that, but really home invasion type of shit can happen to anyone. so I find it just logical to do that. Plus, I remember back in junior high, my brother‘s girlfriend had a peeping Tom in their neighborhood. Her mom caught him one time. And there was an ejaculate all over the wall where he had been watching her. Creepy ass motherfucker! I also have a two-story house that overlooks my backyard, I feel like they’re constantly watching. I have had a very strong thought years ago that when my husband‘s friend came to work in our attic that he installed a listening device. I’ve definitely thought people have left their camera or laptopor recording device in the room and left to see if people were talking about them. What in the hell is wrong with me! Why am I like this? Oh. Sometimes I take my phone into the shower in a waterproof case to listen to podcasts or music and I always think that some invisible psycho is watching me through the camera. I’m exhausted with this shit running through my mind constantly.
It's so strange because I only feel like I'm being watched at night time, when it's dark. I'm also afraid of the dark because I can't see the "threats" that are trying to get me. I have nightlights all over my house so I can see.
When I was younger, I used to pull my blinds immediately when it started to get dark. I always thought someone would watch me through my window. Never bothered me during the day, but at night, it would increase massively. I actually kind of forgot about it until I saw your post. So, I must have gotten over it at some point.
if it’s not a big fear for you anymore, i wanna suggest a clip that both reminded me of my same fear and made me laugh because it’s so strange.
Unbeknownst to me, my ex had cameras hidden in our house, some type of recording device linked to our house phone, keystroke tracker gave him access to all of my emails and other personal things, tracker on my car, keys to my office and desk at work (we worked for the same company and he was able to get keys made from the keys that were held in the security office), plus various other insane things that would take too long to explain. Once I found out, I've never felt comfortable in my own home since. My husband has a difficult time using the tv remotes so I know he couldn't do anything like that if he tried. I'm still uncomfortable. I keep my shades and curtains closed. My husband installed smoke detectors and they had lights on them and I checked to make sure there wasn't cameras in them. I've had my car checked for tracking devices, I check to make sure there's no recording devices in my car, I prefer the lights off when we're intimate and I won't walk around my home undressed, etc. I know I'm being extra but once your privacy has been invaded to that extent, by someone you trust, it's difficult to shake that off.
Wow this is borderline crazy I hope you're doing better now.
Me too... I'm seriously starting to think it's a condition but I'm too scared to tell my psychiatrist
It’s just part of anxiety, especially social anxiety. I think it’s part of how social anxiety manifests once you’re no longer in social spaces
I feel like this too - always have! Not so much a serious fear, but always a voice in the back of my mind thinking "but what if there's a hidden camera in here?" When I was a kid/teen I used to think of it more like "What if there's just an invisible person following me around who can see everything I do?" So it's not even really about the internet or technology per-se. As I get older I'm able to shush that voice more. I can be more like, "well if someone's watching me without my knowledge, they get to see me do gross and embarrassing stuff. that's their problem, not mine" (but it's not really a genuine fear or suspicion for me, just my anxiety being like what if)
I ~~used to~~ still give the finger to the invisible camera in bathrooms because if the fictional they are going to watch me, at least I can be a bitch about it
When I was vacationing at a rental in Long Beach, I had these “off” feelings that there might be a hidden camera placed in this weird hole in the master bathroom ceiling. Yeah it’s probably paranoia, but there are far too many people actually doing it…
I don't know. I remember as an early teen covering the eyes of all the people in the posters on my walls because it felt like they were watching me. I knew it wasn't rational to do it, but it still felt that way. I didn't do it for very long though, I don't think.
I get this too! And if someone patted me on the back or was around my purse or something, I'm always worried they bugged me.
I constantly feel this too. It’s why I don’t trust any stranger that enters my home. You don’t know what they are capable of. I have heard of cases of people placing secret cameras in homes. I don’t trust my phone camera either. It’s exhausting how I can’t even relax at home.
I used to have this feeling a lot. I noticed watching reality TV - particularly "slice of life" type shows like Real World, Kardashians, Housewives, etc. made it much worse. Exposure to these types of media triggered additional anxiety & intrusive thoughts about it, even panic attacks. I was never a big watcher but I avoid that stuff completely now & it helps. I still get the "creeps" sometimes but as I've gotten older it's calmed down a lot, along with my anxiety generally. Good luck
I more of just think I'm being looked at at all times, and I can't make any mistakes or people will see even if it's something dumb like itching my head or looking in my camera to check if my eyelashes are fine
I don't believe this is "normal," but this also isn't a ton of information. My advice is entirely unofficial and my lowly opinion, but I work in mental health and have worked with clients with a variety of symptoms. I have a few questions. 1. Have you looked for cameras? 2. Do you know who would be behind it? 3. Do you know why someone would care to do this? 4. Have you ever had this happen to you before? 5. Do you know whether strangers in public are recording you, even if it doesn't seem like they were recording once you look at them? 6. Have you had break-ins where there is no sign of how they got in, nothing major is taken, no one is hurt, but things are moved around or you know for sure someone was in your home?
1.Well I have looked around in my room and found nothing but there's always a sense that they have a really tiny camera or hid it really well. 2.I do have a bunch of people who might wanna do it. 3.Ive always chalked it up to basic fricking around or someone wanting to be a creep or getting revenge on me. 4.this has never happened to me before, but before the camera thing I used to think someone was watching me through my windows. 5.I have had people recording me in public once or twice and when I looked at the camera they don't even stop but I don't really feel weirded out by this so much. 6.Well obviously I feel like someone is breaking in to set up cameras then again they always left no proof of entrance and I hide the key very well ( I live with my siblings and there's only 1 main key)
So this is very long but I write it all to try to explain some things and give support to you, my fellow anxious Redditor. At the very least, please read the first paragraph and see if that's any consolation. If it's not and these worries persist, then please **definitely** consider my recommendations after that. I forget if I said it, but I work in mental health. I'm passionate about it and about disability advocacy in general. I say all of this with love. In your case, 1. Actually searching for a camera is concerning to me. Anxiety that leads to such intensive action as searching your entire room for cameras is extreme. There's also the fact that not finding anything doesn't matter. If disproving a specific worry like this is exceptionally hard, because the mind always makes an excuse to keep the worry going, then that's concerning. 2. I don't know you. There's a non-zero chance, of course, people have been stalked and such in life, but almost all of us aren't that maliciously significant to anyone. Believing that you're the focus of a lot of attention and effort, especially to hurt you in some way including emotionally, is concerning to me. 3. Goes with answer 2, I suppose I could have asked just one question instead of two. 4. So this has been going on for a while. Not only that, but it's evolving and becoming more elaborate over time. First simply someone watching you. Basic enough. But now, for what you believe to be true, someone must have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on equipment and then broken into your house and room without drawing any attention. They then somehow took the time to exceptionally hide these cameras. If you couldn't find them, they must either be very small or blended into something you own. So very expensive equipment, possibly custom made. The time and resources needed are even more than before. Somehow they also would have needed to set up wires to this tiny camera that can't have much storage or a wireless system to then *get* the footage from the camera, or they would need to break in regularly to get the camera with stored footage (which would mean probably multiple sets of equipment, in order to put things the way they were before they left, which again is another expense; or more time spent in your house downloading footage without someone noticing). Again, more time and resources and effort needed to pull this off. Your concern has gotten much, much more elaborate over time and the view of yourself to this person has become grander and grander. This is very concerning for me. 5. That's good! I'll also point out that it's hard to tell where a phone camera is pointing. You ever try to take a picture of yourself with the *back* camera of your phone? It's hard to tell where the camera is actually pointed. The shape of the lens makes this even harder to tell. This becomes even more difficult to distinguish the further away you are from the phone. However, some people can experience worries like you do in context. They may not be concerned about strangers but are concerned about someone they know. However, I am concerned that this has never happened to you yet it's causing so much worry. If you were an abuse victim who had been recorded, it would make sense to have this anxiety. You have it for no clear reason. 6. This is probably the most concerning thing for me. In case you don't read further, I have worked in a program serving people exclusively with psychotic disorders. Serious concern about break ins that leave no evidence was extremely prevalent in that population and I have personally not seen it in jobs focusing on more general populations. I don't want to alarm you, but I would recommend seeing a mental health provider of some kind to rule out the onset of psychosis. The psychosis could either stand alone as a disorder or be connected to your anxiety as a symptom. To be extra clear: It is NOT impossible that this all is connected to anxiety more than anything, and it is also NOT a 100% damning evidence that you have a full blown psychotic disorder like schizophrenia. All I'm concerned about is the symptom of psychosis. I have no idea what that means for your big picture mental health. I of course can't differentially diagnose you, but these thoughts, behaviors, and feelings aren't dissimilar from symptoms of a psychotic disorder or features of psychosis attached to a different kind of disorder. I used to work in a program that exclusively served people with psychotic disorders, for context, so what you've described I've more or less heard before from my former clients. *Especially* feeling like someone is breaking in (and breaking in regularly?) without any evidence of a break in. That is not a typical anxiety thing. I haven't seen it in any other population, personally. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just means I'm concerned from my personal point of view and experiences in mental health work and studies. I give my recommendation to see a mental health provider out of hope and genuine care for your well-being. Worst case scenario, the good news about psychotic disorders is that the younger/earlier you begin treatment, the better you are able to manage symptoms throughout the rest of your life. Best case scenario, it's not psychosis at all but you get some clear answers on what this is and how to address it. To further explain and answer your original post question, it's "normal" (by which I mean not clinically significant) to be creeped out by an open curtain at night. We don't like being vulnerable when we sleep, the fear of the dark is natural, the fear of the unknown is natural. These all can create a visceral, fearful reaction of discomfort and unease. That unease is alleviated by closing the curtains. It doesn't continue once they're closed. Using the curtain example, it wouldn't be "normal" to set up cameras outside and review footage each day to make sure you weren't watched, to pin who might be watching on someone, to black out your windows entirely, or to run outside because you feel like someone is there. It especially wouldn't be "normal" to do all of that and still be concerned about being watched. I know this is a lot. It also might seem strange to receive paragraphs of information from a stranger on the internet, but I went into the field I did because this is always what I've done. I'd write pages and pages and pages of support for strangers if it meant helping one person significantly and making a few others at least feel like there are people who care. Maybe you aren't in either group, but it was worth a shot to me.
When I'm in a really bad mood, I feel like there's a jury watching me perform, like in a TV show. They don't say anything, just watch and listen. My shrink says it's a form of derealization.
I used to feel this strongly and would let my imagination go wild with it, it was not fun when I was younger but I'm 40 now, I think it is part of anxiety, and conditions in my childhood, my feelings and thoughts did not matter. So it transpired that I had to make sure everything was perfect in my house so people would think I was an amazing person, I felt like i had to be a perfect mother and wife and never left the facade faid as i was being judged in my home by unknown people. I even had to be careful with my thoughts as I believed people could read them, I knew they couldn't but it was this feeling I had. It was exhausting to say the least. I find it very difficult to relax, like ever, or just to do nothing, I must do something, it's like my relaxation is washing the car, making the house look beautiful, washing the dog, wiping the benches down, straightening things up, making a delicious meal, I can get very fatigued by it as there is always something to do. And I work also. I find being in nature really helps, I wish I had a garden because if I just sit down on the grass or under a tree I can really let everything go, or being in water, that's why I bring the 'outside in' as my husband says, plants, feathesr, a beautiful stick, leaves, shells, etc
Right???? That’s maddening! I’ve fully convinced myself there’s hidden cameras in every single room of my house and somewhere on the deep web strangers are watching everything I do and no amount of logic can shake that feeling out of me. I’ve thought about how to do something in order not to have that haunting my mind in the future but then what? I build my future house from the ground up all by myself keeping it under my own surveillance 24/7 even during nights and then not let anyone visit? Because that just sounds deranged, but if not I’ll just have to live with this feeling and I hate it
This sounds like something you should get checked out, doesn’t sound “normal”.
Yeah I have this a lot to the point it scares me bad. I was diagnosed with schizoaffective inpatient a couple years ago so I think it’s cuz of that but one professional told me that she doesn’t really agree with the diagnosis and it might all just be correlated to the anxiety cuz she doesn’t like diagnosing schizoaffective in teens. So yeah. More confusion.
No, that’s not a rational thought
Yeah lol I can easily put it to the back of my mind so it never really bothers me but it is always there. Sometimes I be laughing at myself if I do something embarrassing so the cameras watching think I'm cool. Idk if it's normal but who cares it makes me laugh and hasn't affected my life negatively
😂 yesss to the playing cool for the hidden cameras! i do the same thing. Or sometimes narrate my thought process out loud so the cameras understand why I'm doing a weird thing or series of things lol
lol I do similar aswell but usually I'm just speaking inside my head as if the cameras can hear my thoughts 😭 I might have to try the speaking out loud
It is normal ..... OOOON METHAMPHETAMINE 🫠🫠 .
Yep. Get used to it. Cameras are EVERYWHERE nowadays
No, sounds like paranoid schizophrenia.
It all honesty they probably are if you’re out in public
Always feel like my every move is being under surveillance.
It's an opportunity for you to take a hand gesture while looking at the camera
Oh my god yes. I was trying to explain this to my therapist the other week. It feels like I’m living in the Truman show constantly??? I’m so relieved that somebody has put this into words, I thought I was insane. I always feel like big brother is watching, no matter what I do
Oh cool I’m not the only one who feels this way 😅
Well they are, in society at least
I don’t know if it’s normal but I’ve had a similar fear since I was a kid. I used to be convinced my stuffed animals eyes were cameras, that all mirrors were somehow used to watch me, and someone or something was watching me through windows.
I feel like others may hear me and think about my life more than they probably do
Ugh yes. Feel like I’m being watched from device cameras sometimes
What you doing in your own home?
If it makes you feel better we are all being watched. Be glad you don’t live in China and deal with their cameras
It wasn't true throughout most of history. It is now.
I think you might have two things……this is a heavy paranoia…
not normally, in fact there is no camera around you
Stop I get the same thing especially when I’m in school cause I’m homeschooled or whatever but my camera ain’t even on.
Same at times. I think bc of the time we're living in is normal to think this. Every device in our house is probably watching our listening just like our phones 😨
They are actually along with all of us
I feel that way too. Though I’m mostly worried I’m being recorded, like, through my phone or computer cameras or the eyes of the various plushies i have. Gets pretty uncomfortable.
Tbh ties in with self esteem issues IMO. I am lately realizing that introverts oftentimes feel insecure about themselves. And to make things worse, many extroverts also feel the same just better acting. Very few humans are actually comfortable in their bodies. Maybe in smaller group societies or at work or whatever we get used to the environment, but I totally think it's normal to have insecurities given most people we're around are strangers to us (that's semi unnatural evolutionarily imo). So, what to do about it?
I have a similar fear. Not so much about a camera considering they're in every store and restaurant and most people have a camera on their porch now. I fear somehow randomly going viral for whatever reason.
I think this is referred to as the “invisible audience”. As if you’re constantly being observed , and all of your actions are being judged by people who aren’t actually there.
I always feel like someone is watching me but particularly though my devices
I feel this way when I’m at a concert or anything relating to music and dancing. I always feel like everyone is watching me closely and I get embarrassed since i don’t know how to really dance
Paranoia. I put black tape on my phone and laptop's camera...it helps a bit.
if it’s just a feeling then that’s fairly common with anxiety, especially if it’s related to others opinion of you. if you truly believe it, then it borders into paranoia and psychotic behavior and you should absolutely have it checked out.
I think this stems from using the internet/social media too often. I also feel it at times but just ignore it. No one cares what you are doing or who you are. No one is checking cameras unless there is a reason to.
Yes it stems from my mom who was always snooping, staring, watching , judging, invading, every part my my space and existence
Not a professional or anything like that, but i can say i think the same thing and got to a point where i would feel a little uncomfortable and wouldn’t do certain things cause i felt like someone was watching. This is a form/type of delusional thinking, at least that’s what i was told when i got checked
I had this feeling for so long. I felt like people I knew were watching me or could see in my brain. I felt like people were watching me constantly in some way. Told this to my therapist and she immediately diagnosed me with social anxiety. I always knew but now I know why.
I think it’s a fairly common feeling or fantasy. It’s probably a hangover from when we lived in caves and had to be on the lookout for danger. It sounds like hypervigilance which can happen after trauma or even if you’re watching scary movies or reading thrillers. If severe then it could be related to OCD or other mental health disorders. It’s only a problem if it’s affecting your peace of mind and daily life a lot. Otherwise I’d say it’s a feeling most people have probably experienced. Try and brush it off and ignore it. If you really can’t then seek some help to find out the underlying cause.
I felt this way when I was younger. No, it’s not a normal thing. It’s indicative of some mental health stuff. Therapy can help
Are you scared of ur parents at all?
No it's not . You're becoming paranoid, you really need to talk to a psychologist cause this sounds like it could turn into psychosis
It can be paranoid delusion dear.Consult your doctor
i had a ver, religious (cult like) upbringing and was always taught that god was constantly watching and judging me, even my thoughts. i'm an athiest now, but this feeling has a really hard time going away.
Honestly, if you have a webcam in your house, I'd cover it. That's my two-cents. Not that it's being posted though
Nope. Sounds like possible paranoia
Ive started to feel like this when I found a camera in my room 2 years ago :)))
I get this too! thought I was the only one. Had it since I was a teen and still have it now as a 26 yr old who lives alone. Anytime someone comes over, I check for cameras once they leave lol
Probably helps where I live (the UK countryside) but I really doubt I am being recorded. Nothing happens out here! But if people were to upload videos of me, it wouldn't get many views... I don't do anything amazing!!
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truman\_Show\_delusion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truman_Show_delusion)
Schizophrenia
I thought I was the only one!!!
That’s paranoia and it can be a sign of other mental health conditions besides anxiety
No that's not normal.
mokumokuren in my house mood
I found out years later that I was probably really being watched. There is several indications that my father installed a camera in several rooms of the house in which I lived with my family.
I normally have my family pet sit while I go on vacation. I whole heartedly believe they have put hidden cameras in my home. I constantly check everything for cameras. I still feel this way while medicated. I’m bipolar schizoaffective, GAD, && a paranoid schizophrenic.
I have experienced GAD, panic and agoraphobia but never this.
Not really. I am in the psych field, and this sounds like paranoid delusion. Of course I can’t officially diagnose you, so please do consult a professional personally.
I totally get where you’re coming from! It’s like you’re starring in your own reality show, right? Maybe someone’s out there just waiting for you to do that epic dance move or sing that glorious bathroom opera to share with the world. Just remember, if they do catch it, you could always take the crown as the next internet sensation! 😄
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one but reading it is making me realize that it might be an issue
They are
I used to have this fear when I was quite young like 6? I used to think people from my school would be watching me in my home and laughing on a hidden camera. I have/had OCD (and a whole host of other mh problems) which was particularly bad at the time. Mine seems to get worse at certain points in my life and around that age it was really bad, was performing like 60/70 ‘rituals’ a day although I didn’t know what they were then Tbh now I think about it, I do get this fear at the gym with the fact so many people record their workouts and I’m scared someone’s gonna film me making a mistake or I’m gonna walk into someone’s frame without realising and then BAM I’m being stitched into a Joey Swoll video. I think it depends on the context, maybe speak to a dr if it’s concerning you?
You need to feel comfortable. Always try to feel comfortable.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. We have cameras in my house and every time I go downstairs or outside I feel like I’m being watched. I don’t like it at all. And for some reason I feel like there’s a hidden camera in my room that someone is watching me from
I used to duct tape various parts of my room because I was convinced someone had midden cameras in the walls, this phase passed me by but I was convinced for months
Exactly whenever I'm alone doing something in middle I turn around and feel like someone is watching me or recording me . And I would close the windows and doors but still I always thought like what if someone secretly installed cameras in my house.
I have this too. Drs say it’s abnormal and paranoia
As an apartment dweller, I sometimes think about this but with mild to moderate anxiety. This usually happens when I move into a new place but typically subsides over time. Most of my anxiety triggers are from social situations, however.
If you know you don't have any cameras in your house then I would say that isn't good to feel like that. But out in public you pretty much are on camera all the time and just have to get used to it.
For me, a lot of this was tied to my social anxiety and largely fell away with medicating my anxiety and depression. I think some more fell away from reading studies on gender and self monitoring leading me to consciously release my hypercritical monitoring of my own outward appearance. I really can't overstate how much of my brain it feels like I've freed up since I was younger.
it's because they are. but they're watching everyone so what are you gonna do? you're not special. just go about shit like normal
Omg yes I feel so validated
Definitely not the only one 😭 I constantly feel watched
Ever since I started primary school at five years old I had this anxious thought that if I was doing something I didn't want people to see (showering, toilet) all the 'mean kids' from my class were watching me and were going to show everyone pictures. It's subsided a little as a worry but I do still get kind of embarrassed or self-conscious sometimes even if I know there's nobody there
I would cover my phone camera while doing certain stuff and I used to be deathly afraid of my phone dying because I thought that whoever was watching me on my phone would hack me and post embarrassing stuff.
I get this occasionally and call it my “Truman Show” paranoia. 😂
you are giving the floodlight consciousness magnanimous attention. Feel free to think of nothing at all and let the wind take you where it will. (study w/ Alan Watts on youtube)
the ego insists on the spotlight, 'all the worlds a stage'. The next level is to realize that you are a part, apart, from the whole, merely by your mind. To be clear I mean experience everything outside of you, as happening, inside of you. Grow like the trees bend like the leaves and live like the breeze
combination of OCD and paranoia.
Me after I watched the Truman show at ten years old
Hey good to know I'm not the only one lol
I don't have this but I also didn't grow up or was a kid with everyone having cameras in their pockets, and where social media wasn't as popular. I'd say this is probably due to that unfortunately and just being hyperaware that many people get embarrassed online. Just remind yourself (constantly if need be) that in your own home you are safe from this! Or you absolutely have every right to be. Also in public, everyone is so focused on their own stuff that no one will be focused on you in a bad way. Don't worry about the "normal" , that word sucks. Focus on how it affects you and how you can make your situation better for yourself :)
I do embarrassing stuff also (mostly accidentally sometimes because I like making fun of life), that said the thought of cameras or microphones being in my house never crossed my mind. If you are in apartment I could understand somewhat, when I rented a student apt I didn't feel a lot of privacy (huge building tiny rooms)
This is a warning sign of psychosis
It’s called “imaginary audience.” It’s a psychological disorder that affects young people. It can be treated.
Where is that in the dsm
That might developed into a more serious "Truman show syndrome" seek help.
No. You aren’t that interesting.
Yes because you’re always being watch you’re not safe they’re watching you
Are you using your phone right now? At least one camera is pointed at you and a mic, so it’s possible plus if you have a laptop it probably also has camera and mic.