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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How to sound snd act more grown up?

8 replies

Fedupn37 · 09/01/2022 18:49

I’m doing a lot of self reflect this year and I’ve come to the realisation I’m quite child like. I’m in a professional job but when get to talk in meetings etc. I feel everyone looking at me - I know this might be imposter syndrome btw.

I had a neglected childhood with some abuse and I know children get stuck at this age apparently so I know the causes but I’ve had enough now. I want to feel and act more grown up. I’m in my late 30’s with 3 kids. Please advise me on how to get started.

Even small talk with people I feel they think WTF! I feel DH sometimes gets embarrassed when I try to make small talk with people but it doesn’t come across well.

OP posts:
maxelly · 10/01/2022 11:09

Sorry you haven't had any replies, I don't think from what you've said you actually need to change your behaviour that much, no-one aside from you has actually said you come across child-like, it's all about your own confidence and how you feel internally? As in, you feel your DH is embarrassed by your small talk, but he hasn't said so (surely all small talk is a bit cringey anyway, once it moves past that stilted part it stops being small talk and is actually just conversation)? You feel people are looking at you when you talk in meetings but you haven't had any feedback from your manager or colleagues that you need to improve?

Have you had any therapy/counselling about the childhood issues and confidence/imposter syndrome etc? Sorry if you've already done all that but you don't mention it, if you find the right person it can be really helpful.

It's not exactly the same but I've suffered with really quite bad shyness a lot of my life, and was actually getting both personal and professional negative feedback about it so I had to embark on a bit of an improvement project. I didn't really do anything ground-breaking, just practiced, a lot - so putting myself into scary situations where I would have to make small talk with other shy people (my nightmare even now lol), have to speak publicly, have to assert myself in conflict-y type situations, that kind of thing. I took inspiration from people around me who do that kind of thing really well and tried to copy what they do as best I could (I know people say you just have to be yourself but myself is a frightened mouse who'd happily sit in a corner and not say a word in a social situation and that wasn't working well for me Grin), so I kind of did the classic fake it til you make it thing. I also did an interesting course on how to be a good listener, I'd always thought because I was so quiet and let others do the talking I was a good listener but actually there's more to it that that, learning how to get other people to talk well and 'feel' listened to is a super useful skill and once you know how becomes kind of second nature and is really handy because most people prefer to talk about themselves than to listen to you talking anyway, and so saves you from having to say too much! That course was way more helpful to me that the classic 'assertiveness', 'public speaking' ones that work also put me on too although those were also OK in that they taught me there's no real mystery about how people get good at this stuff, it's just technique (fairly obvious technique too) and practice...

In my profession we regularly have to do 360 feedback and I now no longer get the constant 'too quiet', 'doesn't speak up', 'is shy' kind of comments so professionally at least it's worked, and in personal life I've pretty much stopped caring what people think of me, I can roll out reasonable chat in any situation that really needs it (the good old stop-gaps of the weather, the state of the roads/traffic and what's on the telly have served me very well for many a haircut/visit to elderly relative over the years, boring maybe but saves lapses into silence) and frankly unless you are saying something offensive or unkind why does it matter what your small talk is? If your DH is embarrassed by it you have a DH problem not a you problem (to roll out a MN classic)?

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 10/01/2022 11:20

This is quite difficult to give advice about without knowing what exactly you're doing. Do you make loads of jokes? Laugh inappropriately? Or do.you just feel like you're not good enough to be there? Im a fellow imposter syndrome sufferer so know that feeling well.

I find what helps me is to speak to people how I expect to be spoken to.

Fedupn37 · 10/01/2022 14:17

@maxelly thank you so much for your response. It’s really helped me. I like your idea of copying others in similar situations. Thank you so much x

@Letsallscreamatthesistene. Yes no one has picked up on this but I feel they too scared / awkward to say anything. I feel looking around others seem to be more grown up e.g. Years ago i went to Paris with DH and a couple were making small talk with us and asked me what I’m looking forward to seeing and I replied not sure! It was a really cringe moment as they just looked at each other. I could have said so much looking back but I seem to just say one word answers.

OP posts:
Letsallscreamatthesistene · 10/01/2022 14:29

Then is it a lack of confidence on your part??

Fedupn37 · 10/01/2022 14:33

@Letsallscreamatthesistene yes I think it is.

OP posts:
maxelly · 10/01/2022 15:00

See I don't want to come across harshly because I too brood back on trivial random conversations I've had years ago and critique myself endlessly on the stupid things I've said or the cringey moments and wonder what people must have thought of me but honestly the best thing I've done both for my internal happiness and also my external presentation/how I come across to others is to learn how to let that stuff go!

Everyone has these moments, the difference between confident, outgoing people and the likes of us is they don't over analyse this shit. I have a very sociable, chatty DH who most people instantly warm to (unlike shy, quiet me!) and I know for a fact he very rarely gives a moments thought to what he's said once he's said it. He thinks I'm absolutely mad for giving headspace to analysing slightly 'off' or dim remarks I made to strangers years ago Grin. Really, honestly no-one cares about it remotely as much as you do. That couple were probably way more interested in what they were having for dinner/the argument they had that morning/whether they'll get to have sex before the end of the trip/will that weird rash go away or the million and one other things you're thinking about on holiday in Paris than your slightly lame reply to the question they were only asking to be polite, in fact if anything they were probably lying awake at night afterwards wondering if they came across as rude/weird/cold or whatever their own personal hang-up is rather than thinking about what you said.

Of course it's one thing to know this logically and another to actually get your brain to stop the negative feedback loop and the 'highlight reel' of your most inept social interactions playing on repeat, things I have found helpful are having happy, positive memories of good times with friends or times I know I have done well at work or whatever to think about and try and counteract my instinctive negative thoughts, meditation/mindfulness, singing a very loud repetitive song or trying to remember the lyrics of something I've half forgotten or writing a shopping list in my head, anything to drown it out really! The awkward thing for anyone with a touch of shyness or whose social skills need a bit of a boost is that the more confident you appear the more people are naturally drawn to you and the easier interactions get so the more confident you actually feel and so on, whereas if you get drawn into a negative spiral where you think you're going to seem awkward and shy you probably will - this is where fake it til you make it and trying hard not to care too much comes in really!

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 10/01/2022 15:08

Its good that you've identified that, because coming across childishly and lacking confidence are two totally different things with different solutions.

I was also quite a shy child. Like the other poster though I got so fed up of people thinking I was rude etc and not making progress/friends because of my shyness I made myself do stuff. Once I had done that I realised that I can do it. Dont get me wrong, public speaking still brings me out in cold sweats and gives me sleepless nights so im defo not 'cured'! Im happy to hold my own in meetings though. Ive worked a lot on mindfulness in conversation and my conversation skills in general. Might this tactic work for you?

Kite22 · 10/01/2022 15:28

As others have said it is difficult to know what to suggest, as you haven't really indicated that you are saying anything out of place, or that you are freezing up or anything.
In your OP you said I’m in a professional job but when get to talk in meetings etc. I feel everyone looking at me ...... but that is what is supposed to happen. It is customary to look at the person who is speaking in a meeting.

The example you gave about Paris doesn't sound off to me. Some people go to a City to see a particular thing, but others go because they haven't been before / to see what it is like / because they have heard it is nice. I said similar to people before I went on my last City Break - simply because I didn't know what I was going to see, there wasn't one thing I was looking for. I don't think that is strange at all. In fact, I'd go to far as to say I am happy saying "I don't know" in different circumstances because I have quite high self esteem and recognise that not knowing something in one particular conversation doesn't define you at all.

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