Little space at an inconvenient time. Can it be stopped?

[Amiu]

So I'm a stressed, broke university student that still lives with her parents and it's hard to relax and fully sink into little space. I've been keeping my guard up for so long in my house because I'm really not comfortable "letting go" when my family members are around and I don't particularly have a daddy or a knowing friend to calm me down or help 

 

I haven't been completely little for weeks which causes me to semi slip into little space at random times, it makes me so worried. I accidentally did it again when I was with my friends in a clothing store today... because I saw a fluffy pink sweater.. and it was so snuggly... gosh... I kinda just stayed silent and walked a bit behind my friends throughout the rest of the day until it was home time. 

 

Does anyone have some advice on how to "safely" stop from slipping accidentally into little space?   

 

I mean.. is there any way?

 

 

   

 

 

[DollDirector]

I am not a little but I certainly can understand having to keep one's guard up for too long. It seems you are in fact more worried (quite rightly) about that than about slipping.

 

You are the best placed person to answer this: Do you think any of your slips has put you in real danger ? However,you may not be the best placed person to exactly measure the toll of stress.

If there is no major risk,then don't take a negative view of the occasional slip; See it (and explain to any friend who might notice) as a way to relieve tension

[Guest PrincessCakes]

You should try to indulge in your little space more in private, maybe like right before bed when you're all alone. I spend time in my room alone watching cartoons in soft blankets with my favorite stuffies. It makes it easier to not have it pop up outside of my "safe space"

[plumflower]

I agree that you should indulge in your little side a little bit more in private but who cares if you do get all little like with friends around? Play if off, let it be a personality quirk. My little has always been a quirk of mine, Slowly my real life friends are being told and it makes sense to them.

[Guest ~*~Sachita~*~]

It sounds like you are needing help with two issues - stress relief and finding ways to be little.

 

BUT, that is not what you asked for.

 

You can suppress it, just squash it down and pretend to be appropriately interested in "adult things".  Personally, it didn't work for me.  Instead, hiding my little side made me bitter and I was lashing out at others because I couldn't be myself around them.  Lose/lose.

 

It seems like others have a way of channeling all of their little passions into specific items that are deemed more culturally appropriate.  For example: American dolls instead of stuffies; glass figurines instead of My Little Pony; adult games like Cards Against Humanity instead of CandyLand; manga instead of comic books; rescue dogs instead of puppies. 

 

Sounds like you were worried about what your friends would think, do one of them have a hobby that you could share with them?  Maybe you could take a 10 minute time out to play a little game on your phone?

 

If you find something that works, please let me know.

[SnuggleBadger]

I see this theme a lot in the various CG/l groups I lurk in: the idea that our little self needs to be suppressed, but why? Now I am more of a middle than a little, so maybe I am missing something crucial here, but what's wrong with being thought weird or quirky or eccentric?

An Example: a couple of weeks ago we had a potluck at work and someone brought tiny corn muffins. They were so small and cute that I started singing a song about them while I was fixing my plate. Two of my coworkers heard me and thought it was funny, but it wasn't a big deal. We all shared a laugh over it.

I'd like to think that if you had allowed yourself to share your joy and enthusiasm of that sweater you found your friends would have just accepted it as another facet of who you are.

 

I agree with what everyone else said about finding ways to be little in private/on your own. If you don't have a space that's completely yours at home, you could try staking out a public place that has a comfortable atmosphere for being little and chilling out there when you need to decompress: my personal favorites are the public library (books!!) and funky coffee shops (pastries!!!). 

[Amiu]

I guess I can say that from reading all your replies I did somewhat have a realisation.

Just a small backstory (that no one probably needs to hear), but the atmosphere that I've grown up in, mainly in my family, is very ummmm judgmental and strict I guess. My friends kind of have a lot on their plate at the moment too, so when they have problems I just stay silent and listen, occasionally try to help them out. I've always disliked telling people my own problems maybe because I feel like I'm burdening them? 

 

I mean, I'm not going to lie, I'm really really scared, well, terrified of what people that I have known since childhood/pre-primary will think of me if I tell them. My friends are so valuable and understanding but I still have an image of them giving me strange looks in the back of my head every time I see a cute plushie, or pacifiers on display etc. It's hard to be a big girl all the time ... 

 

As for indulging in my little side more.. I'm a bit of a mess at the moment and still fairly new at everything but I will really want to try and do more research, maybe learn a bit more about my self so I can tailor to what I need. But recently, even in the most comfortable situations I just don't feel like it. Like, my little side is completely random, for now anyway.   

[DollDirector]

It does seem this is not indeed the time to tell these people. You don't have to tell; You can use a lie you will have thought in advance,if they notice something. Any silly explanation related to 2 cents psychology goes,you'll be surprised. You'll tell to a Daddy sooner or later.

Take care and thanks for being back,many people ask questions and are not back to show any appreciation.