@TheBreadmonkey This happens to me too and thank you for sharing it.

It will be fun!

@TheBreadmonkey Oh no, you are far from alone in this. I applaud your positive attitude and predict that you will in fact enjoy the day as a result of said attitude. 💚

@TheBreadmonkey
"What if I'm weird and they don't like me."

this is negative self talk. show yourself more respect

random strangers on the internet like you, I'm sure these people who made the effort to ask for your company in meat space like you too

it sucks if you can't afford it, and if you can't do it for whatever reason, but life will move on

I'm not really a sports person myself

don't let anxiety rob you of what might actually be a fun adventure though

just be you. that will always be enough for anyone worth a damn

go or do not go. follow your heart. I trust it. why cant you?

@TheBreadmonkey You're the King, Ben. Enjoy that day.

@TheBreadmonkey Yep, despite the overthinking, just crack on and do it. You'll have a great day, Twickenham on a big day is *bonkers* and full of people worth watching and laughing with (or at).

Embrace the ignorance. Ask dumb questions. Cheer, groan, shout, say "ooooooh!" a lot, sing songs if you know the words and hum if you don't.

This coming from someone who has a guest ticket for an enormous concert at Wembley Arena soon but doesn't know whether to go or not...

@TheBreadmonkey Same here, this has been me forever.

I can generally mask my way through most any situation, but the internal mental prep can be exhausting. I’ve never been a big sports guy, so masking into that world tends to be super difficult.

FYI I’m freshly self-diagnosed #AuDHD, which has pretty much explained everything about my own lifelong weirdness!

@TheBreadmonkey

Should you go, I hope you enjoy yourself.

@TheBreadmonkey Omgs NO you aren't the only one. I overplan for EVERYTHING and have a hard time going with spontaneous invites (though I do encourage my friends to keep trying). I worry over every little contingency, too. I am a mess, and it is perfectly okay!

@TheBreadmonkey Dude, we all feel it. Some are better than others at ignoring the overthinking voices. Go ahead and have fun. Your buddies will share their extensive knowledge with you (they're sports nerds, after all), and you'll get to bond with them.

Also, for next time, remember: You are in control. You can tell those nagging little voices to shut the hell up. You might have to do it a few times, but they'll eventually fade. :-)

@TheBreadmonkey Turns out this is exactly the same error that I made last year, only it was buying weed.

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For your type of situation...that sort of thing with me is almost entirely masking. I "have fun" while I'm there. I will ask the stupid questions and take the gentle ribbing...it's alright. Everyone that watches sports has to "learn" for the first time.

It's the crash afterward that I dread.

@TheBreadmonkey

Or you could tell the person you can't go due to a family commitment, sell the ticket online and pay back the debt.

Then you could go away with the family IF you want to.

@TheBreadmonkey I hope you get to have fun! Ive followed international rugby on and off, I dont really care about sport or rugby generally, but honestly sometimes its nice to be in a big bunch of people where theres zero expectation of chat, and every now and again give a big roar with everyone. Kind of like choir, but less musical. Genuinely hope you have a nice day of 'protect the precious egg', but I echo other people's warnings about the price of a Twickenham pint #ActuallyAutistic

@TheBreadmonkey Well as you may know, last time I had something planned with a bunch of strangers (weaving workshop last Saturday) I chickened out and didn’t go. Which I now sort of regret. It’s hard. Especially when you feel like you have sort of inadvertently trapped yourself in something. But! I think the fact that he went out of his way to get you a ticket so quickly means that he thinks you’re an OK guy and he would like to hang out with you. I know blokes aren’t very good at just saying that to each other but it seems like that’s the message. So I say go, you may make some new friends, get a little breathing space from the family. You don’t ever have to do it again if you don’t want to. Tom sometimes goes to international rugby matches and says the atmosphere is absolutely amazing

@TheBreadmonkey It hasn't happened yet? I hope you can enjoy it.

@TheBreadmonkey have a good time! :)

I've learned over the years to be a bit careful when given invitations, and ask some questions first! I do find it a bit 'rude' that they didn't mention to you that tickets are SUPER EXPENSIVE! usually before spending money on someone's behalf, you mention the price to them, no??