As my family knows, I sometimes scream when I'm startled

[conuly]

Say, if I'm washing dishes and another person suddenly exists in the kitchen, or if I turn the stairs and find somebody else coming up them, that sort of thing. My family is used to it. Strangers sometimes apologize profusely - they're always much more upset than I am. (I think they assume I'm actually upset. I'm not, I'm just surprised.)

Yesterday I came in my room and Callie was sitting on my keyboard. Turns out she's used to me randomly screaming for no good reason too.

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Comments

[manoah]

I do that. My family is used to me. They say I always "suck all the air" out of the room. Heh.

[thewayne]

Good thing I'm not there! I don't do it on purpose, but I move pretty quietly - I just don't like noise. I frequently startled my previous library director and my current co-worker.

[lilysea]

I scream when startled too - it's a PTSD/hypervigilance thing for me

I can't take the rubbish out to the outside rubbish bins while I am waiting for my partner to come over

because he walks quickly and quietly

and he would startle me and I would have a fatigue/pain flare up for the rest of the day...

even if I say to myself "partner is on his way over, he might startle you" it doesn't stop me startling...

[conuly]

Sympathy on the PTSD. In my case I think it's more an autism thing or even just a "me" thing - PTSD has always sounded to be remarkably unfun compared to autism!