‘What makes you unnecessarily awkward?’ – 23 social scenarios that make people strangely uncomfortable

Anyone who has ever been on a date that has a lot of pained silences will know how tricky social situations can be. But what about those moments that should be familiar and easy but we somehow turn into a nightmare of anxiety?

Over on the AskUk subreddit, overworkeddesigner_ posed this question:

What makes you unnecessarily awkward?

I have tradespeople in my house today and I have to rev myself up each time to offer them a brew. They are lovely polite blokes but the social anxiety is real. What makes you unnecessarily awkward?

And lots of people whose social dial is permanently set to ‘cringe’ chimed in with their thoughts…

1.

‘Last time I had tradespeople in, I left the tea bags, mugs and sugar out, filled the kettle up, showed them where the milk was and told them to help themselves as I’d be ‘working’ upstairs. Then I hid upstairs for a week.’
–poodleflange

2.

‘Having to make phone calls. I know what I want to say, then ‘Can I help you?’… erm… ‘I hope so?’ and I just forget what I want to say or sound like a idiot.’
–Separate-Frame-7038

3.

‘I will go talk to someone in person to avoid using the phone, like booking a GP appointment or haircut.’
–50_61S—–165_97E

4.

‘I just had my bathroom renovated. It took six days, so for six days I had to ‘ask permission’ to use the toilet and in true Brit fashion I thanked them after. Super awkward every time.’
–heretobenosey

5.

‘I pissed in a jug in the kitchen because I figured it was easier than having to ask if I could use my own bathroom when we had ours renovated. Easier if you’re a man but I’m not, lol.’
–cheesytola

6.

‘Going into a shop or cafe that I’ve never been into before. What if they have a queuing system I can’t get my head around? Absolute minefield.’
–atthepeake

7.

‘I went to an unfamiliar drive-thru McDonalds today. I have only done the drive-thru thing twice before in my life. Despite the huge arrows painted on the ground I managed to take a wrong turn and end up at a dead end. I just reversed out and left.’
–anabsentfriend

8.

‘Getting my hair washed at the hairdresser, I don’t know if I should close my eyes or keep them open.’
–charlotteflewk

9.

‘The entire ordeal of getting a hair cut is something I dread so only do it once a year. The weird eyes open/closed, general chit chat, prolonged mirror time all add to my avoidance of going.’
–mrsdontknowwhoiam

10.

‘Yesterday I was in the chemists panicking about how i was going to get out, press the automatic button or just pull the door open! What normal person worries about how to open a damn door?’
–0rachael0

11.

‘Life makes me feel awkward. I’ve had this uneasy feeling about my own existence as long as I can remember.’
–PsychologicalDrone

12.

‘The little small talk before a Teams meeting officially starts.’
–eikerir