People sitting opposite you facing you

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Does this make you feel anxious? I don't feel like this if people I know are sitting opposite me and facing me, but when a stranger is sitting opposite me and facing me, I absolutely hate it. I find it very awkward. On the bus they have got 2 seats that face backwards, so of course there are seats facing you if you sit in the backwards ones. I try to avoid sitting in these if I can, but once I sat in them, and people sat opposite me, and I hated every minute. I know they might have not been staring at my eyes the whole time, but I was in their firing line, so any movement I did make would probably distract them and draw their eyes onto me. So I ended up sitting there very stiffly, being afraid to move or even blink. My mouth kept filling up with salava, but when I swallowed I choked on it, because I was feeling really anxious about it. I tried not to think about them and tried to be natural, but it didn't work. The more I know I'm in someone's firing line, the more nervous I get. It's terrible. It's not so bad standing up because you can turn away more, but when you're sitting in an enclosed bus or train, it's mighty hard to endure sitting facing somebody for ages.

Anyone else feel the same?

sometimes, although i seem to be able to differentiate between 'staring at me' and 'staring in my direction'.
the first one makes me very oncomfortable at best, but the second one doesn't phase me in the least, and is also the most common one on the bus.

Being an extremely insecure person, at least as I happen to feel things, seating positions can be very difficult for me. Even when I know someone well, I still do not like sitting directly across from him or her within arms' length.

At times when there seems no way to avoid that, I try to either sit a bit sideways (avoidance body language) and/or keep myself distracted in a book or something or else by looking out a window ...

... but even while all of that is going on, I try to not make the other person uncomfortable, and that means at least trying to be engaging if s/he might wish to do so.

I fake sleep, with headphones on and head bending downwards. Also you might try to read with your face covered. Try to read something like... Time, a newspaper, or a hot novel. Don't read something like the complete guide to Asperger's syndrome, or insect cookbooks and sex manuals. Save that for home.

I'd second the reading. I bring my kindle everywhere

My discomfort in this situation is directly proportional to the distance between seats. I assume on a bus the backward facing seats would be close to the forward facing ones and that's definitely a situation I'd avoid.

I hate driving behind a vehicle where some of the passengers are facing backwards, perhaps sitting in the bed of a pickup truck. I just don't know where to look and flee into other lanes at the first opportunity.

It's particularly bad when I'm on the metro and not sitting at a window seat - then you really have no where else to look, if not directly in front you have to find something in your bag to busy yourself with, you can't look to the side as there are people to the side too. I especially hate when I sit down facing forward, then somewhere along the journey someone sits on the next set of seats but facing backwards so they're facing me...and when there were plenty of other seats they could have sat on instead of facing me.

*stares at phone*

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I hate it too. It makes me extremely uncomfortable, even when I'm distracted with something.

Well, the buses in my city have mostly long seats on both sides, so that you are forced to face a whole row of people as well as have people on either side of you! I have learned to wear dark glasses and earbuds, as well as bring a book or newspaper. It is extremely disconcerting to face a battery of eyes each time you happen to look up. Of course I make room if someone really needs to sit there next to me, but I really find it hellish to have someone I don't know sitting so close to me. It's even worse in the summer, because I have found some seats to be wet from someone's sweaty behind!

I hate that too, usually I just look down at my feet, which makes me look like an idiot, that or stimming which makes me look ret*d, which further drives people to look at me, or my vocal and physical tics.

Point being everybody is gonna stare at me, nothing I can do about it, but live with it, that and sit WAAAAAAAAAAAY in the back of the city bus and pray to god I dont tic.

As for conversations, I prefer taking the seat besides someone, instead from across, it may look odd to them especially if the seat across is empy, they will get over it or if they ask Ill tell them why, I just say its a weird habit of mine, that or if they know about autism well I say I have Asperger's

Yes I find this uncomfortable I take a puzzle book with me so I can concentrate on that.