Signs That You Are Socially Awkward

You find it hard to have a conversation with someone your age...

Image Source/ Reddit

Social awkwardness is quite an ambiguous term and can encapsulate a lot of signs and reasons. Essentially, it's the sense of feeling awkward in social settings which shouldn't unsettle you. First on this list is finding it difficult to engage in conversations of people your own age.

...and you stress about the interaction immediately afterwards!

Image Source/ Reddit

The interaction with your acquaintance or colleague has now finished and all you can think about is how much of an idiot you made yourself look. Nine times out of ten, the other person isn't even considering this and you are just overthinking absolutely nothing.

You constantly stress about your appearance

Image Source/ Irish Mirror

Believe it or not, stressing about your appearance can be a sign of social awkwardness. The reason is that you feel so hyped up about how people might perceive you that it leads you to overdress or overdo your look to a social setting that doesn't need it.

You never know when it's appropriate to laugh in conversations

Image Source/ Reddit

Someone with social awkwardness might figure out that they have other issues underlying with their social ineptitude, such as a mild form of autism. People with autism can't always regulate social norms and find it difficult to read the cues of a conversation.

Using the bathroom out of the house is a big no-no

Image Source/ Reddit

Social awkwardness can lead people to do bizarre things, like holding in their wee (and especially poop) until they are in a position to be able to "safely" pass on the toilet. It might be due to the anxiety of people hearing them, the unsanitary public toilets, or just simply not wanting others to know that you're going to the WC!

You sometimes speak a little too quietly

Image Source/ Reddit

There's a huge confidence issue that underlies social awkwardness and this can often lead people to talk too quietly when engaging in conversations. They might not feel like their opinion is worthwhile or even worth listening to, so these sorts of people just slip under the radar.

You rehearse conversations in your head before you have them

Image Source/ Delaware Gazette

You might have been rehearsing that conversation with your manager before you got to work, or rehearsing what you're gonna say to your friends before you meet them for that drink. This is so that you have conversation topics when you meet and don't happen upon any nasty surprises.

You bite your nails during conversation

Image Source/ Reddit

Biting your nails during a conversation can be a huge symptom of social awkwardness. Nail biting can be associated with anxiety and social situations can often trigger anxiety, especially social anxiety, which can thus be linked to that of social awkwardness.

Nobody laughs when you tell jokes

Image Source/ Reddit 

Have you ever told a joke to a room and nobody laughed, like, at all? Yeah, that's one heck of a feeling. It can be enough to force anyone not to want to converse with others ever again! If you've experienced this, it might be because you told a joke that this particular group of people just wouldn't find funny.

You don't understand sarcasm

Image Source/ LinkedIn

Sarcasm is a conversation device people use all the time. Mostly, it's easy to pick up on, depending on the person, tone and topic. However, if you're struggling to pick up on any sarcasm at all, no matter the situation, you might just be a sufferer of the old social awkwardness.

You're scared that someone will act out spontaneously

Image Source/ Reddit

Part of being socially awkward is the spontaneity of conversation. The topic can turn any which way which can make people feel quite uncomfortable. So if someone suddenly gets angry in an altercation with you, it can make you feel incredibly awkward and intimidated.

Is there something on my nose?

Image Source/ Reddit

Have you ever been there when it seems like the person you're speaking with just can't stop looking at something on your face? Yeah, if you think this often, it could be a sign of social awkwardness. Sometimes, we genuinely might have something on our face but mostly it's just the anxiety!

Bumping into someone you know is too much

Image Source/ 9GAG

As mentioned before, spontaneity is enough to make someone socially awkward never want to socialize again. Do you find that you have an intense feeling of anxiety and awkwardness when you bump into somebody that you know, even though they're friendly?

You end up talking about inappropriate things

Image Source/ Twitter

Part of social awkwardness is having a hard time understanding social cues. This might mean that you start to make jokes or discuss topics that aren't appropriate for your audience; dark humor is a big factor in this. If this is you, then you might be socially awkward.

You find greetings and goodbyes painful

Image Source/ Memes Monkey

If you're a socially awkward person you might absolutely fear saying hello and goodbye to someone, because you genuinely don't know what words to use or how to act around them. Do we hug? Kiss? Handshake? The possibilities are annoyingly endless!

What the heck is flirting?

Image Source/ Know Your Meme

Social awkwardness doesn't just appear in platonic relationships, but can be transferred to your romantic life too. Have you noticed that you struggle to make genuine flirty conversation with people? Maybe you don't know what to put, or maybe you just can't pick up on their flirty banter.

You can't enter a room full of people you don't know

Image Source/ Know Your Meme

People with social awkwardness will have an intense feeling of anxiety when they're met with a room full of people they don't know. Once on the other side of the door, they don't know how to act and feel that every move they make is being scrutinized by the others.

Large gatherings make you feel overwhelmed...

Image Source/ Foursquare

Whenever you're invited to parties you might feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of people that are there. Who do you talk to? What do you say? How do you act? Which hand do you drink with? These are all common signs of someone being socially awkward.

...and so your friendship group is oddly small

Image Source/ Pinterest

Because you can't stand the idea of being in a larger group, you opt to keep your close friendship circle relatively small. This is so you feel safer, more secure and more comfortable when you're around them. This is absolutely fine but is still a sign of being socially awkward!

You use stimming techniques during difficult conversations

Image Source/ Kidzworld

As mentioned previously, social awkwardness can be linked to autism, which includes the use of stimming. This is something that someone will do in order to stimulate themselves and can occur in anxiety-prone situations. These can be anything from itching the scalp to rubbing your earlobe.

Eye contact is hard to maintain during conversations

Image Source/ Reddit

Eye contact is an integral part of having a conversation with someone so when you're struggling to make eye contact with them it can induce an unsettling and awkward feeling in the interaction. You might find that looking someone in the eyes is a little too intense for your liking.

You struggle to order your own food...

Image Source/ Eater LA

Ordering food for yourself is a natural part of life and you're probably going to end up in the situation where you're going to have to do it for yourself. However, for socially awkward people, even this brief interaction is a little too intense for them.

...then you struggle to eat it in front of others

Image Source/ Leicester Mercury

Once you've got the food, you might find that it's difficult to actually eat it in front of other people. Socially awkward people will look around to see what cutlery people are using, how fast they are eating, how much they have ordered, how much of their drink they finish...

You hate being the center of attention with a passion

Image Source/ Pinterest

It's okay to hate being the center of attention from time to time but this can actually be debilitating for people with social awkwardness. It can mean that they never raise their hand in class, never speak up in group discussions, never wear something they want to wear.

Do my friends really like me?

Image Source/ Pinterest

This is an integral question that someone with social awkwardness will ask themselves. Because they struggle to read the social cues of other people, they might struggle to read their emotions and actions too, which leads some things to become "lost in translation."

You will

never

answer the phone when it rings

Image Source/ Montgomery Community Media

You might absolutely hate the idea of picking up the phone, no matter how many times it rings. What is phone etiquette anyway? If you need me, just text me! It's a common feeling to have when you're struggling with your social awkwardness and anxiety.

You can never make your own appointments over the phone

Image Source/ Reddit

Likewise to the point above, you might also hate the idea of picking up the phone to make any kind of appointment. Whether that be for the doctors, dentists, hairdresser, speaking over the phone is an embarrassing and awkward encounter for you to endure.

You're constantly wondering what people think of you

Image Source/ Pinterest

Part of being socially awkward is the self-conscious aspect that everyone is thinking about you... and you want to know what. Our perception of self can be skewed by how we think people perceive us to be, which can be detrimental to our mental health and well being.

Staying at home is more appealing than socializing to you

Image Source/ Pinterest

You have started to avoid socializing altogether and would much rather just prefer to stick at home with a hot cup of cocoa watching Netflix than be out socializing with friends and family. It's fine to sometimes want to do this, but socializing is good for our bodies and mind.

You only really spoke to your family as a child

Image Source/ Pinterest

Finally, can you think of any reasons that you might be socially awkward? One of the biggest ones is that you never really had the chance to socialize as a child and only ever really spent time with your family. Social awkwardness can start to develop at a young age.