Without a doubt, we have all faced some very awkward situations in our life, with no clue how to tackle them. It' s usually a moment of silence so thick you could cut it with a knife, with some awkward coughing, pretend-sleeping, or the classic- staring at your phone. Well, fear no more- here is a list of the top 5 most awkward moments and how to tackle them.

1. Forgetting someone's name

There have been countless times that I have had an hour long conversation with someone with absolutely no clue what the person's name is. As awful as it is, there always comes that terrible moment when you realize that you cannot escape the inevitable: you have to know the person's name. The easiest way to combat this issue to to ask the person their name, and if they get annoyed with you, tell them you meant their last name. If they are still confused as to why you need their name, tell them it was to find them and friend them in social media. If all goes well, you might even become better friends.

2. Greeting a friend and they turn out to be someone else

Once, I saw a friend of mine walking down the hallway, so I went up behind her and grabbed her backpack to announce my arrival. To my complete dismay, she turned around and I saw that she was a complete stranger. I stared at her for what seemed as the longest second of my life, and she stared right back, wondering why a random person would do that to her. Honestly, the only way to recover from this situation is to tell the person what happened. When I told the girl what had happened, we both laughed about it for a short second this time, but it definitely made the situation a thousand times lighter.

3. Telling a waiter that arrives with your food, "Thanks, you too"

In the spirit of being brutally honest, this is not an easy moment to recover from. Usually, if you're lucky, the waiter might just laugh half-halfheartedly, but there's always the risk of seriously annoying them. Annoying the person who brings you your food might not be the best idea. So, in this situation, maybe just laugh, give a sincere sorry, and make sure you tip well.

4. Falling in public

This can be a very literally and figuratively painful experience, especially if you fall down in a place full of strangers. Once at school, I fell down a couple of steps, with people's eyes staring at me and the beautiful hole I ripped in my jeans. In this situation, make sure you are always laughing. Laugh at yourself, and laugh at the monstrosity that just occurred. The situation could deteriorate very quickly if one tear appears when you feel sorry for yourself. Simply laugh and smile, acting as though ripping your jeans if the most normal thing in the world, hope that a friend of yours appears nearby so you can disappear in the crowds again with a sidekick, and maybe cry about your ill-fated luck later.

5. Elevators

One word says it all. Stuck in an elevator with a group of random strangers is brutal. No one likes the person that starts a conversation during those long, unbearably awkward 2 minutes it takes to reach your floor, so definitely don't be that person. The way to tackle this situation is to politely smile at some of your fellow elevator riders (only for a second, though) and rely on modern technology and cellphones. Whenever in doubt, just pull the cellphone out. It'll give you something to do, and not have to face the heavy tension.