How to hold a normal conversation without it being awkward?
in Psychology ·
Jessica Wood96 said:Look, I don't usually post much here,
but I’m not really talking about comments. I'm talking about real life stuff—things that actually matter. Like, I'll be mid-conversation about work, and then suddenly I just shut down. It happens because I start overthinking everything. I convince myself I'm talking nonsense or being totally incoherent. I get stuck watching people's faces, trying to read their reactions, wondering what they're thinking about what I'm saying, or how they're processing it,
It’s complicated. Honestly? I struggle with it a lot. Most days, I’d rather just stay quiet and not talk to anyone at all...
There is one person I can actually talk to normally, but even then, if the topic turns into something I don't want to deal with, I just BLOCK. I can't handle certain things, like talking through problems where I'm the one at fault, and so on.....
Hmm, I definitely recognize that feeling. For me, it mostly hits when I'm talking to a guy I actually like; I get this massive mental block where I'm terrified of sounding stupid. I end up pre-editing my sentences in my head, obsessing over how he might interpret a specific word choice, and then later, I'm still lying awake wondering why I didn't say *this* instead of *that*. It’s the same thing with authority figures—like a Dean at a university or some high-level manager at a firm. I get so caught up in managing the impression I’m leaving that I end up looking clumsy, almost like I've forgotten how to speak English properly. Outside of those specific scenarios, I'm usually fine in a group, provided it isn't a completely new crowd... but yeah, I think I struggle with social interaction and general socialization.🤔