Very 'normal' things that make you feel awkward

[DancingDucks]

First of all I'm sticking a 'lighthearted' in here. 😊

A friend and I had this conversation the other day and it made us both laugh, so maybe it'll cheer up a wet and windy day for some.

Some of mine:

When people wish me happy birthday on Facebook. It's very lovely of people but makes me feel so weird and embarrassed, so I now have my birthday hidden.

Waiting to get off a bus. Not sure what I think will happen, but I get all weird and stressed in case I forget to thank the driver. Which would never happen because it's so drummed into me.

Standing behind people at a cash machine. Even though I stand well back, I fear I might look a shifty and robby type, so try to arrange my face as benignly as possible, hence looking slightly vacant.

Walking past my own house. This is so weird and I've no idea why it makes me feel like I should give a jolly wave to my house.

Please tell me I'm not alone in my weirdness ...

I was a lot shyer back then, but if I'd felt he was inappropriate, I'd definitely have said something! He was so lovely and put me at my ease and was very chatty and had a flood sense of humour, but it was still awkward! 🤣

Yes, the stairs one. Always happens with gas engineer, builders etc. Last time it happened they took me by surprise (5 minutes away more like 2) and was still in my shortie dressing gown. It must have made a very ‘Carry On’ scene to my daughter; home from Uni, because she commented on it. Cringe!

Dancing at a wedding. i really don't like it, especially when a big circle
happens and then everyone takes a turn in the centre, just nope!!

Small talk, i always balls that up with my weirdness.

I’ve been to two shows recently; Hamilton and les mis and everyone it seemed apart from me and my friend at Hamilton and me and my husband at les mis stood up at the end. I cannot imagine standing up. I find that more cringeworthy than being the only person sitting.

Clapping in public, I'm positive that i can't clap in time so I ensure that my clapping makes no noise and I just do pretend clapping. If singing is required i do pretend singing.

Good, not flood obviously, bloody phone! 🙄🤣

The pot and pan banging, along with the clapping on the doorstep during Covid, made me quietly die inside, every single Thursday. Making eye contact with neighbours who never speak, kill me now!

Could t even pretend we were out ffs! 🤣😅

*couldn’t

I find Subway a bit stressful. So many questions, the pressure bearing down on you. The Sandwich Artist poised with the tongs, ready to pounce on the red onion as soon as you give consent.

It's too much. I can't remember the options. Can't even remember my own name at this point. I just say 'everything' and pick out the bits of salad I don't like afterwards 😳

Care to share this extensive research you have clearly carried out on the entire population in order to share this scholarly conclusion with us? 🤔

Meanwhile, back in real life, I'm sure that some of us on here are neurodivergent and some are not. Because, y'know, that's real life.

It wasn’t compulsory, why on earth did you join in? I never did.

Gosh yes that sounds awful. When I was seventeen I went on a French exchange. Every time the father of the family I was staying with came down for breakfast, left for work and returned home at the end of the day, his family all queued up to do the French kissy thing, one on each cheek and then a third kiss for good measure. I was expected to do the same. It made me die inside a little bit. 😂

Gosh yes, me too! I find it so awkward and stressful! I feel like I have to practise what I want beforehand but then there's this blur of different types of bread and patties and God knows what and I always feel like I should have learnt the menu off my heart in advance because my eyesight is so bad that I can't read the menu on the wall behind them. I feel your pain!!!

Oh yes, me too. I remember cutting down some box plants in my front garden a few years ago because they were infested by caterpillars who were basically destroying them. A 'helpful' man walked past and went to great lengths to explain that I needed to cut them down because he could see all the caterpillars. I tried to interject that that was exactly what I was doing. I was even sawing at the base of one of them as he spoke. In the end I just went inside and went back out and finished the job after dark! Much More peaceful and no helpful advice was offered!

The part at church where you are supposed to greet your neighbours with a handshake, or if they are a few chairs away, a wave. I don't do it anymore, I know when it's coming, and I always look in bag for a tissue and don't make eye contact. It is just so cringey to me!!!!

I avoid places like Subway as it is just too fast moving , too many questions and they seem to want me out the way most of the time as I try and grasp what to order.

Having happy birthday sung to me.... what is the socially acceptable protocol here. Do I sit there with a giant smile, staring at the cake? Do I look at the people singing to me, what do I do with my hands? Sitting arms crossed seems abit unbothered, clapping and holding them up seems abit extreme, sitting on them seems abit strange. What am I meant to do? It's the most awkward part of birthdays 😂

@Discodance1988 when DC were little we always went to the same local italian for birthdays. My sister was visiting and we went for my birthday. I think DH must have organised a cake because they turned off the lights and the whole restaurant started to sing Happy Birthday. The waiter came to our table, picked up my DD who was around 3yo and held her up in the air for everyone to sing to, thinking it was her birthday. Of course older DC, DH and sister all knew it was wrong and no one knew quite how to handle it. So I just went along with it because it would be so much worse to have to try and fix it!!

You must be my twin. I went there for the first time with my sister and I was startled and confused with the constant questions. My sister found it funny. I felt like saying "just give me a fucking white ham roll". I've never been back as I can't cope with the choice and barrage of questions.

Ha ha! I have avoided 'subway ' type establishments for years.
Ds2 loves the choices , but honestly it's just too over whelming for me!

I missed all of that. The road I live on isn't really residential. There's just our apartment building and no one was doing it in the corridors. It was one of those weird things that people frequently talked about but never happened in my world...thankfully. I'd have found that cringe overload.

My husband used to do this to collect our DD from the child minders, and he passed a group of boys who always politely told him he'd forgotten his baby 😄
Mine are anything to do with splitting money with friends or family and any wider family events - I have a massive extended family and find the small talk, canapes and nibbles excruciatingly embarrassing for some reason!

i have dreams about this! going out in my underwear!!

Exactly the same for me 😆
Also, washing my car feels the same, no idea why 😆

We didn't. People who happen to be the same colour as us did Hundreds of years ago.
Nice dig though 👌