I get it. I do. All of these things and more are personal weaknesses of mine because I'm just so awkward in these situations. You may find yourself nodding along to a handful of these and thinking, "Yeah. I do that too." If you relate to everything on this list then you're all socially awkward as me and there's nothing wrong with that... In my eyes.
1. Single person versus multi-stall bathrooms.
The dreaded public bathrooms! Ever find yourself standing patiently outside a public restroom door and wondering, "Is it a single or multi-stall bathroom?" Sometimes I reach for the handle then draw back and think deeply on whether I should knock or just go in.
Whatever the decision I make is, it's usually wrong. If I go to knock and someone opens the door to exit, the bathroom is usually a multi-stall bathroom and they look at me as if I'm insane. Then if I turn the handle on the door, I usually find that it's locked and when the person inside exits they look at me like I'm rude.
There's no winning in these situations and I'm left feeling awkward all the same.
2. To shake hands or not?
Whether it's an acquaintance or someone you're meeting for the first time, you overthink going in for that handshake. Are they going in with their left or right hand? Will they notice you going in for it?
The worst handshake I ever went for in my life was when I was selling a piece of furniture to someone online and they came to my house to pick it up. As they left, I was holding my dog in my arms because she's a tiny puppy. They went to pet her in my arms but I thought they were trying to shake my hand, so I met them halfway and intercepted her just before she pet my dog. She thought I was pushing her hand away from my puppy and awkwardness ensued.
3. Saying your goodbyes.
Goodbyes are a fickle thing and I can never get them correct. Sometimes I sound too enthusiastic and sometimes I sound disinterested. Have you ever said goodbye and then ended up walking in the same direction as that person anyways? Then it's like, do you say goodbye again or do you not even strike up conversation because you know it will just be awkward?
4. Introducing people.
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I'm not good at introducing people, especially at large gatherings. Recently I brought my boyfriend to a work event and I didn't introduce him to a single person completely on accident. He ended up doing his own introducing and piecing together who my coworkers were.
Is introducing people hard for you too? Hopefully it's not just me.
5. Being introduced.
What are you supposed to say? Sometimes I find myself flustered when I'm the person being introduced because I don't know how to fill in the gaps that the person introducing forgot. Take my boyfriend for example, he at least remembers to introduce me to his friends and family members but forgets to mention that I'm in girlfriend. Do I say it so the other person isn't confused or do I assume they know?
Introductions are confusing.
6. Hanging out with people's pets.
From time to time, at parties or just when visiting my friends, I find myself spending more time with their pets than them. It's gotten to the point where I have more selfies with dogs than people. The worst part is when people catch you wandering off to find the dog or cat and make you stay for conversation. All I want to do is pet the fluffy dog!
7. Being the first one to do something.
So you're at an event and the buffet is out but no one is going for it... Do you go for a plate? Because I don't. Simply because I don't want to be the first person to do something. What if it's not time for it? Am I making myself stand out? If I go first and no one else follows, then what? Do I apologize?
8. Being the last person to do something.
Being the last person is nearly as bad as being the first. Because if you're last then people might be waiting for you to clean up, move on, or leave. Whatever the occasion, you don't want to be last. I'm too worried that people will be watching me closely until I complete the task and who wants that?
9. Making excuses to stay home (in bed).
Sometimes I will get very intricate with my excuses and other times they'll just fly from my lips. My excuses have a large range and I rarely use the same excuse twice with the same person so that things don't seem repetitive. But then I begin overthinking things and wonder if they know it's just an excuse.
Who cares when you get to stay in bed with a good book or movie?
10. Wondering if people are comfortable.
My mind feels like it's running a race track when I have people over. Are they too hot? Too hot? Need water? Hungry? It's like I think they're pets or something! Whenever I have guests I'm pretty sure they're scared of my hyper-active mind and just want me to sit down. But I can't, it's just how my mind is.
11. Planning too much.
Stacking plans on top of one another can get a bit hairy. This is where excuses come into play. If I've made too many plans then sometimes it turns out that none of them happen. I'll become too stressed and make up one giant excuse to cover all of my bases. Because why stress at all?
12. Over-explaining yourself.
This one is great. I over-explain constantly! And sometimes it's not like I mean to, it just happens. Like excessive rambling with a purpose at the very end. Somehow I'm trying to get someone to see from Point A to Point B and on the way I fill in a bunch of made up letters of the alphabet that don't belong.
The end result is... You guessed it- Awkward.
If you felt like you related to some or even all of them, then you're likely socially awkward. It's nothing to be ashamed about! Many great minds lacked social skills and made up for it in other areas. Just get in some social interactions and you'll be fine... I think.
