Receiving gifts is more stressful than it is fun
Although most people enjoy receiving gifts, I find it very stressful. When people give me gifts, it's always awkward when I open it, and I don't like it. I feel like I have to pretend that I love it to avoid anyone becoming offended. It's very stressful having to fake a reaction so that whoever got me that random gift will think I loved it and so that they will feel pleased with themselves. Also, there's always a crowd of family or friends watching me so that they can see my reaction when I open a gift and when I don't like the gift or am confused about why somebody would get me that, I have to fake a reaction so that nobody thinks I'm being ungrateful or disrespectful. Another thing that makes it stressful is the pressure that I need to be appreciative of the gift, whether it's what I wanted or not. I can't let anybody think that I didn't like it. Similarly, It is stressful when somebody gets me money or gift cards in a card. When I open the card, I have to pretend to read the card and thank the person who gave it to me, and it can become awkward because I already saw the money and I have to act surprised and super grateful even though I already knew what it was since it was in an envelope. It also becomes an uncomfortable situation when everybody wants to know what the card said because if I just glanced over what the card said and took the money, I have to reread the card, and then everybody knows that I just wanted to get the money. That's why I always have to make sure I read the card carefully, just in case anybody tries to ask me what it said. It's also stressful when I can't tell who's name is written on the card or the gift because I know that I need to thank everybody for the gifts so when I open it and can't read who it's from, I have to try and guess who it's from and when I get it wrong and thank the wrong person, it becomes very awkward. It's also stressful after everybody leaves and I'm left with a bunch of random cards. I never know if I should hold onto them longer or just throw them away because I know I'm never going to read them again but I always feel guilty throwing them away so soon. And I'm not trying to say that I don't enjoy receiving gifts from people, I just find it very stressful having to deal with showing appreciation and excitement in front of everybody, especially when I have to fake my excitement about a gift. Another thing that makes gift-receiving stressful is when somebody gets me clothes or jewelry that I know I will never wear. It's stressful because I know that they think I like it and expect me to wear it because after a while they're going to realize that I've never worn it and that makes me feel really bad because I know that they're probably really disappointed that I didn't like what they picked out for me. Overall, receiving gifts makes me stressed because of how I’m expected to react in the moment.