Does anyone feel just a bit awkward about doing some every day things?

[Pyri]

I am a successful, confident woman in every day life. So why do I feel like such a prize idiot doing normal things like:

• taking stuff back to the tiny post office counter that’s in the corner shop, I feel weirdly guilty about doing ASOS returns there without buying anything
• taking my car to a car wash, feeling like I’m going to prang it going around corners then feeling a bit awkward not knowing when to tell them I only want the outside doing / not sure where to look when they’re buffing the windscreen / wondering if I’ll run over their toes when pulling forward
• literally anything to do with conversing with workmen

WHY?!! Does anyone else manage perfectly in real life but feel just a bit awkward with these minor interactions?

My hairdresser only works two days a week, useful as the idea of speaking to him fills me with the utmost horror. I therefore always call for an appointment when I know he won't be there.

Oddly I have no issues making conversation with him in person, or speaking to one of the other staff members on the phone.

Sometimes I forget to call on one of his days off and am then forced to wait until the following week

I can't have a cleaner because I'd have to go out everytime they came

Definitely leaving a shop with purchasing, oh the horror

Also my Dad has carers coming in now for personal care and I go round a couple of times a week to do stuff/visit/take Mum out and I hate it if the carer's there at the same time. I always go and find something to do in another room or hide in the kitchen until they've gone. They seem lovely but I always think they will think "you should be doing this not me, you must be a terrible daughter".

I don't understand how people can have cleaners in their homes when they are there, what do you do while they're doing it? At least with having work done in the house it's usually in one room so you can hide in another, but cleaners go in every room so you can't hide or they'd find you and think you're insane.

I couldn't have a cleaner even if I won the lottery as I'd die of the cringing and the stress, although I suppose I could build myself a special shed to hide in and tell the cleaner I stored important, secret things in there and it was out of bounds. Imagine if one day the curiosity got to them and they peeked in to find me hiding in there! 😂

Yes.
I hate walking past the bin men. They were collecting outside my house today, and I was on the drive getting something from the car...and I feel like the confident person in me should of smiled and said thanks but I instead looked at the floor and walked back in the house.

@bigbluebus

I used to make DH take my car to be washed as I didn't want to sit in the car whilst the chap(s) worked their socks off in the heat/cold cleaning my car. It made me feel guilty that I wasn't doing it myself. I'm of an age that remembers when everyone went out onto their driveways and washed their own cars at the weekend.

This what a lot of it springs from isn't it? Guilt. I think I feel it's wrong to have someone working near me if I don't have anything to do even if I'm paying them and couldn't do it myself anyway.

It probably makes no sense or difference to the people doing the job whatsoever, they just want to be paid but I feel guilty to not be doing anything while they are working.

Are there people who can lie on their sofa watching TV and eating crisps in their dressing gown in full view while their cleaner hoovers round them or they have work done on their house? I can't even imagine it, even OH is the same, he hides as well!

Talking on the phone for anyone other than dh, my dm and 1 friend. Everyone else Inc my dad I reject the call then text.

I've needed to make a gp appointment since Nov. Every night I sit and say. I'll call tomorrow then I can't.
Yet if u have to ring for the dcs. I ring straight away.

Calls for other things ie gas bill or whatnot I put off for so long. To the point I'll have a list to call. I then get my df to have the dcs so I can call. As it makes me feel sick the dcs may start screaming or arguing right at the point the other person answers the call

When you're at the dentist and they're doing stuff in your mouth, and you don't know where to look or whether to just close your eyes but then it might look like you've fallen asleep

Hairdresser. I'm so awkward!

All of these things and more. Car wash and cars in particular.

Ordering at Subway? Or even at any coffee place or place where the food is at the counter id need to know exactly what I want so wouldn't go straight up with any hesitation 🤦🏻‍♀️

@FoamBurst

Talking on the phone for anyone other than dh, my dm and 1 friend. Everyone else Inc my dad I reject the call then text.

I've needed to make a gp appointment since Nov. Every night I sit and say. I'll call tomorrow then I can't.
Yet if u have to ring for the dcs. I ring straight away.

Calls for other things ie gas bill or whatnot I put off for so long. To the point I'll have a list to call. I then get my df to have the dcs so I can call. As it makes me feel sick the dcs may start screaming or arguing right at the point the other person answers the call

Yes absolutely making phone calls, I am the worst procrastinator for it! DH has been asking me to arrange a test drive for WEEKS and I finally did it today, it literally took 3 minutes

Unloading the supermarket trolley onto the belt. I panic, don’t know where to stand when I’m unloading it, in front, behind or to the side. I never remember to watch other shoppers see how I should do it, and feel on display and extremely awkward.

Crossing the road, zebra crossings are the worse. I’ll walk right past rather than make a car stop. However I hate pelican crossings too, I am on show and embarrassed that I have made the cars stop and look at me.

Saying hello to the neighbours makes me awkward, as I am incredibly self conscious of saying something stupid, so I will wait in the car/house until they’ve gone.

I am an anxious soul (no way!).

@sociallydistained

All of these things and more. Car wash and cars in particular.

Ordering at Subway? Or even at any coffee place or place where the food is at the counter id need to know exactly what I want so wouldn't go straight up with any hesitation 🤦🏻‍♀️

See I find with Subway and places that I almost don’t want them to judge me for being too greedy?!

When the window cleaner comes 🤣 I spend the time hiding in other rooms . It's like playing musical rooms .

Same here. Its literally the worst thing ever.

@hamsterchump

Also my Dad has carers coming in now for personal care and I go round a couple of times a week to do stuff/visit/take Mum out and I hate it if the carer's there at the same time. I always go and find something to do in another room or hide in the kitchen until they've gone. They seem lovely but I always think they will think "you should be doing this not me, you must be a terrible daughter".

I don't understand how people can have cleaners in their homes when they are there, what do you do while they're doing it? At least with having work done in the house it's usually in one room so you can hide in another, but cleaners go in every room so you can't hide or they'd find you and think you're insane.

I couldn't have a cleaner even if I won the lottery as I'd die of the cringing and the stress, although I suppose I could build myself a special shed to hide in and tell the cleaner I stored important, secret things in there and it was out of bounds. Imagine if one day the curiosity got to them and they peeked in to find me hiding in there! 😂

I’m always doing very important work on my laptop. I am actually working. 😂 but I really need to make it clear.

Going to the same coffee shop too many times in a row as I’m really scared they will remember my order. So I have to go to a different shop so they forget me. Or I order a different coffee to normal so they dont say “the usual”.

Getting out of the car. I always feel like I'm going to make an idiot of myself. I wait until no one's around to get out.

Making phone calls.
Having workmen in the house. I feel like I can’t do anything in case they need me, and can’t not do anything in case they think I’m lazy. I tend to hover and pass them stuff/ hold the sink in place while the plumber secures it etc!

Yes to the window cleaner dance! Fully awful.

@Snowisfallinghere

When you're at the dentist and they're doing stuff in your mouth, and you don't know where to look or whether to just close your eyes but then it might look like you've fallen asleep

You have to close your eyes but in a clearly non relaxed way, make sure they're scrunched up a bit or that at least your knuckles are white from gripping the chair. You can't keep them open or you might accidentally make eye contact with them and who knows what happens then, they probably ask you to leave immediately, the horror! 🤣

Do you type and click extra hard and huff and sigh a lot like everything would just fall apart if you weren't doing this VERY IMPORTANT COMPUTER BASED WORK that just means you have absolutely 0 minutes to do the cleaning for example?

Buying a sad single lady combo in my corner shop, any or all of:
Cat food
Chocolate
Wine
Gin
Magazine

I never know whether to jokingly reference it, or act blasé or what.

@BiscuitLover3678

Going to the same coffee shop too many times in a row as I’m really scared they will remember my order. So I have to go to a different shop so they forget me. Or I order a different coffee to normal so they dont say “the usual”.

I stopped going to my favourite chip shop for a while because the woman was getting too friendly and she was always chatting to me and I was having to think of interesting things to say all the time. Luckily she doesn't seem to work there any more so I can go back now. It's insane isn't it? It must be lovely to be the sort of person who enjoys all these little interactions and always knows what to say, doesn't overthink everything etc, I can't imagine it.

Paying for a coffee and then having to stand to the side while they make it. So awkward. Don’t know what to do with my hands.

These are so funny and I agree with so many.
Walking past workmen also kills me
When you are waiting to walk across a road and a driver slows to let you and you awkwardly run/jog across while repeatedly signalling thanks = death
Running into a colleague outside of work- hate it
Agree with window cleaner

Running into a colleague outside of work- hate it

I ran into a colleague at the local pool at a kids swimming pool party.
Awful. I'd only just started the job and considered not going back.