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 know

Because it’s Mumsnet and some people do like stirring 😂

Oh I have lots of weird things.
Don’t like pooing in public toilets or in other peoples houses.
Don’t like asking for help in shops and will avoid it like the plague unless I desperately need it. I feel like a pest.
Don’t like talking on the telephone.
I need an empty kitchen when I’m cooking. As in, NO ONE loitering around or trying to help.
I don’t like people walking too close behind me. I’ll stop and let them pass.
And finally, the weirdest (and I wonder if anyone else can relate)- when I’m at the supermarket if I have a lot of shopping and I’m choosing which checkout to go to, I never go to one that doesn’t have at least a very small queue. I don’t like the cashier ringing stuff through when I’m still unloading onto the conveyer belt as I like to pack my shopping as it’s rung through rather than have a big pile to pack. It makes me anxious. I think this is related to a fear of making people wait. So I never go to an empty till.
I think I may be slightly neurodiverse. I have a few stims. My niece is diagnosed with autism and my sister says I have some characteristics that are just like hers.

I need an empty kitchen when I’m cooking. As in, NO ONE loitering around or trying to help

I'd forgotten that one. Property programmes showing open plan kitchen/diners and saying, like its a good thing... 'You can chat to guests whilst cooking'. No, just no. Fuck off and leave me alone when I'm cooking.

Packing my shopping bag(s) at the till. 🤢
Having my name called in a waiting room. This even extends to the vets when they say my pet’s name.

The British Empire eh? So not only do I have to worry about new-haircut-going-to-work awkwardness, I also now need to worry that I haven't got a hope in hell of aggressively colonising another country.

FML.

When I got married, I booked the day off but didn't tell anybody why. I couldn't bear the thought of all the fuss.

This has just brought another one to mind - I find my birthday embarrassing and don’t like to mention it to people I don’t know very well. Like if someone in work found out it was my birthday I’d be mortified.

I'm autistic and ADHD, and massively overthink getting things right. I also don't like getting off buses, what if I press it too early or late? Socialising with people I don't really know is also difficult. Answering phone calls! What if I say something wrong? I can write out a text and edit it before sending, and on the phone my brain is likely to be lagging behind my words and I'll get it all wrong

Tying my shoelaces in public. I just feel so awkward. Don't want to squat all the way down but also don't want to bend over so my arse is sticking up in the air!

Another one! Making myself something to eat when I have workmen in for most of a day! Thankfully, this doesn't happen often, but I once went nearly all day without something to eat, as I felt self conscious! They worked solid, they didn't seem to stop for a lunch break and carried on working when I took them a brew! I've also stopped cooking if someone has unexpectedly turned up! I won't have made enough to offer a meal us all and it feels awkward sitting and eating with visitors who aren't!

@trailmx @Feelinghurt2
With the French kissy thing, when I was on a French exchange, outside the school in the morning, the main sound to be heard was the pupils doing the kisses with each other; this would last about ten minutes.

And yes, the formal meals, especially daunting for children not used to them, who had to stand politely until the hostess sat down; and then ask permission to leave the table (these meals would typically last two hours or more).

And if you want more ritualised meal weirdness, the "galette" - the seasonal cake with a trinket hidden inside it, and one child (usually the youngest) would sit under the table while each slice was cut, and the one under the table would say who it was for, including their own slice, and whoever was lucky enough to get the slice with the trinket inside was king for the day. I saw a French teacher recreating this with a model cake, getting one of the children to sit under a table.

You need to look for a wall/railing at a convenient height to prop your foot on.

Sorry am so late to the party, @DancingDucks you mention that your birthday can be hidden on facebook? Mine has disappeared, how do I get it back? I want the WORLD to wish me a happy birthday, lol!

Love this!!! Interesting thread

Then you're sharing a bit of important personal data with the world and could potentially help someone to scam you or commit fraud. People who know you can send messages in plenty of ways. A load of Happy Birthdays from people who'd otherwise not know or care that it's your birthday is pretty meaningless.

Not exactly awkward, but often when I’m peeling a potato that is showing even tiny sprouts, I think, ‘This is a living thing that wants to grow, and would turn into a flourishing plant if allowed - and I’m killing it!’ 🙁

When you are encouraged to clap along to live music at a concert/show. I feel like such a plum and then my hands start to hurt and then it sort of dies away and you don't know when to stop and THEN the person performing on stage has to continue knowing that the audience have stopped clapping. I feel so embarrassed for them.

Even worse is when everyone around you stands up to clap and jig along. The most excruciating experience was at Giovanni Pernice's show. It was like an enormous hen night.

Saying hi to the binman.
On a few occasions when I've left the house as they're emptying the bins, I feel awkward that they have to handle my rubbish.

Last time I didn't even say anything, just claimed up and it was a good 20 seconds or so of me standing starring at the truck.