We interrupt your usual program...

While my parents were staying at the fancy hotel this week, my sister and I took advantage of the fully equiped 24 hour fitness room. I was sad when we had to turn over our key card.I stopped going to my regular gym recently because someone who works there started to make me uncomfortable. Vickie says it's my fault that we had to change gyms and that she had gone to that location for a whole year and never had any problems.It all started on the day I signed up for my membership. The guy who signed me up seemed friendly and would always say "hi" to me when I came by. Not wanting to be rude, I'd say "hi" back. I don't see anything wrong with that.When I went away for a while, he noticed, and started to approach my sister when ever she visited to inquire about my whereabouts. She told me it was very bothersome, and I did think it was inappropriate, but I brushed it off. Didn't think it was a big deal.But when I returned, he started to make it a point to take a break as I was leaving the gym if I went by in the middle of the day. He'd walk out of the door and try to make small talk as I was hurrying down the block. Or he'd pop up in the fitness room as I was working out and try to chat. If I went with my sister he'd always appear when we exited to see us out the door. I still tried to shrug it off.A few weeks ago as Vickie and I were leaving the gym some older men loudly commented "Oh, so that's who, gym employee guy, keeps talking about."This totally skivvied me out-- so much so, that just the thought of returning to the gym gave me extremely high anxiety.I haven't returned since. For some reason being confronted with these situations causes me such discomfort that I'd rather be inconvenienced than have to face it. I don't know why I have no issue telling friends if they have offended me, but the thought of dealing with a stranger who is probably just being their kind of friendly, cripples me with anxiety. It's more than just bothersome-- it actually stops me from going about my life normally.I guess it's the same reason why disgusting men on the street irritate me so much.I hope this problem doesn't get any more debilitating than prompting me to switch gym locations.