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 feel genuinely awkward going to the toilet in anyone's house. I avoid it if I have to.

It triggers memories of my exes grandparents having an old style house where the bathroom was downstairs and next to the living room.. when the grandad went in with his paper you just knew... not to mention the stench... it was revolting...

A dog does the same job I recall! Diverting the attention and creating a barrier!

Maybe just perhaps, you are ND and the rest of us on this thread are NT.

Who knows, it doesn’t matter either way 🤷🏽‍♂️

What a bizarre response. Assuming you, and most of the people responding on this thread, are British, you most certainly had an Empire. And not ‘hundreds of years ago’ — most people view the handover of Hong Kong to China as the official end, and that was in 1997.

And it wasn’t a ‘dig’.

It was simply an observation that it’s difficult to imagine people who can’t choose a sandwich, struggle with whether to make eye contact with someone walking towards them, and dread going to work with a new haircut colonising enormous territories. But maybe your ancestors stayed at home worrying about the postman seeing them in their nightwear.😀

Many people probably joined in because there was a perception of enormous social pressure to do so, with the non clappers being named and shamed on social media (and roasted on mumsnet as well). I’m sure there were AIBU “I don’t want to clap, but I’m afraid of the neighbours if I don’t”. I didn’t join in, and I don’t care at all if people thought I was killing granny.

I’m sure it was for the same reason that many people obeyed the mad rules, wore a mask, only went out for an hour a day (even though that wasn’t compulsory): they were afraid of being publicly vilified, and justifiably afraid, as in some circles, pure red-hot vitriol was thrown at non-clappers, and anyone who didn’t follow the roolz to the letter.

Fuck me, I’m glad I don’t give a shit about what other people think.

Ah so what, it doesn't really matter to you if I'm weird or not, it's not really a mike drop moment. 😂

This thread was supposed to be a bit of fun, but I've been on MN long enough to know that, sooner or later, a couple of posters like to piss on your chips. No biggie.

You say this like it's some kind of insult. It really isn't.

Can you share the diagnostic criteria for this thing called Normal @WhatMyNameis? Until you can pin that down you’re going to find it difficult to say who deviates from Normal. It could just be that the common factor on this thread is being human, though I’ll concede that I have to take 50mg of Lisdexamfetamine of a morning to pass for what I suspect you call Normal. Even then I can’t stand using the phone or wanky conversations about food and wine and identify with some other things on this list, but honesty if you passed me in the street you’d never know I wasn’t this thing called Normal.

Why are so many people on MN so preoccupied with labelling other people as weird? Like it's the most terrible thing in the world to be. Could it be that they're terrified of being perceived as weird themselves? Hmmm... 🤔

Well done to you! 😊

We live in a small Cul-de-sac, shaped a little like an amphitheatre. If you were the ONLY neighbour not banging a pan, you would have been ABSOLUTELY named and shamed (in a round about way) during the Covid ‘bang a pan’ Thursday evening clap a lot evening on our local fb page! So that maybe had a little bit to do with it!

As this thread is about ‘normal’ things that make you feel awkward, why on earth would you feel it necessary to comment at all, never mind on my reply to a ‘not normal’ event, during really shitty times, doing something that was really cringey to MANY people?

My reply above was in response to this one ^

And what does that say about the people that were colonised by folk who can't make eye contract or choose a sandwich........

Hong Kong was only on lease, it was always 'going back'

@WhatMyNameis Did you even read the thread title 😂 spectacularly missing the point of the entire thread!

a few of mine: what to do with myself when the window cleaner is there and can see in, whether or not to make polite conversation with washing machine repair man or am I getting on his nerves, feeling embarrassed when I say morning to someone on dog walk and they don’t reply, walking into work with a haircut or colour, sitting in a room when it’s dark outside and curtains are open, while kettle is boiling I set targets for how much of dishwasher I can empty before it boils, loads more I can’t think of at moment!

Usually people say “ you can do mine next!” You only need to smile.

When a parcel is delivered I never open it straight away, especially when it’s clothes- probably because I am putting off the moment when I have to try it on!

Years ago, living in the country, we had a toilet that was attached to the house, but not in the house. It was also used to store garden stuff. One day, my mum was sitting on the loo, door unlocked, and the postman opened it and threw the parcel in! He acted as if doing that was quite normal. My Mum was red faced,though!

Reminds me of when I stayed in France with French relatives. The first morning I was last in to breakfast, sat down and started eating then noticed my partner's 8 year old nephew standing by the door.

I asked what he was waiting for and was told he was waiting to be kissed good morning and I'd just walked past completely ignoring him!

It was considered polite for children to greet adults before breakfast and wait till everyone was seated before they sat down.

To make it even more awkward I got up, apologised and kissed him and wished him Bonsoir.

Crikey, how formal! I can't imagine being expected to kiss someone's children good morning, but I also wouldn't expect them to stand to attention till I'd acknowledged them. Awks.

Hugging people that I don't really know hello and goodbye -my new work colleagues all hug each other!!
Being touched by people, I.e. Someone grabbing my arm to make a point.

The absolute worst though is bowling. The act of bowling the ball. Having to stand there and watch the ball to see if it knocks any pins down and then the walk back to your seat. I feel so awkward the whole time it's hideous.

I agree with lots of these, so:
Chatty taxi drivers (please stop, and just drive)
Checkout people who want to chat - I have been known to move to a longer queue to avoid the worst offenders
Basically any kind of small talk
My birthday - anything about it, and it can take me days to pluck up the courage to open cards. Just so embarrassing.
Speaking on the phone, unless for official/business purposes

I so agree with this. I am due to retire soon, and I'll be making it very clear that my last day has to just be a normal day, no gifts etc. But I might leave early anyway, just in case!

I actively seek out a checkout queue as I become really self conscious if the checkout operator is sitting patiently watching me load my groceries onto the belt. Sometimes I’ve had to circle the store to avoid the empty checkout.

Why has a lightheaded post become an argument about British Empire? For goodness sake! 🤣