40+ People Share Their Socially Awkward Moments That Are Far Too Relatable

There are some things that are hard to explain in so many words. Sometimes, a metaphor or even an example can really put things into perspective.

These people found a pretty apt expression of social anxiety that many of us have probably experienced before. When you think about it, though, the concept is pretty simple. Why is throwing an apple core away so hard? Oh yeah, that’s the social anxiety.

The concept of social anxiety can ebb and flow a bit from person to person, though. What makes one person uncomfortable may not make another uncomfortable.

What do you do when you and the person you’re with are nervous to handle a social situation? Not to worry! If you’re with this person, they have a built-in failsafe to take care of their friend’s anxieties, even if they clash with their own.

When you’re out and about, things can suddenly feel awkward even if nothing has perceptively changed. What could possibly be causing this? Well, the short answer is that if nothing has changed, it’s probably anxiety.

So, how can it be so convincing that you would have your conversation or even day derailed like this? Well, if you’re no stranger to anxiety, you may recognize having conversations like this in your head.

It’s not every time that you share that you’re experiencing social anxiety that the people around you are accommodating about it. Once in a while, though, some individuals may surprise you!

It seems like this was a great example of people coming together just to help someone out. This person said that no one even took a moment to be snarky, something the internet rarely misses out on. Instead, everyone took a moment to be kind.

There are some moments in class that are nearly universally nerve-wracking. Even if you’re the most well-read person in the room, your nerves can really get to you when you least want it to happen.

This person was in a moment many people have been in they just happened to be pretty brutally honest about what happened. After all, sometimes you really do know the answer. However they sounded at the moment, they knew it wasn’t a lack of knowledge that was the problem here.

We’ve all heard the famous rhyme at some point over the years — “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

It’s a nice sentiment but it’s easy to see that words really can hurt people — emotionally that is. So, maybe the age-old rhyme needs a few revisions. Someone had an idea for something a little more relatable and honest. In general, please don’t hurt them with sticks, stones, or words.

The point of this slide is clear. They want to know if your whole day was actually bad or did your day have a really bad moment in it.

Sometimes, it’s hard not to let something that only lasts a few minutes take the wind out of your sails for the day. Honestly, this person didn’t find this sign as helpful as it was accusing. Now, it really is a bad day.

There are plenty of sayings that are meant to encourage you. However, some of them are a little cliché and don’t really hold the weight some people think they do.

This person couldn’t help but notice that “go big or go home” wasn’t that encouraging to them. After all, is going home really a threat? Every time they hear it, they’re a bit tempted to just take the latter option. They mean it literally, too.

Any amount of anxiety is uncomfortable, even if you consider yours to be “not that bad.” There are a few things that many people can relate to in anxious moments.

Maybe you have a habit you’re trying to kick, like picking your lips or biting your nails. Then, maybe you have some inability to sit still. How could you when nervous thoughts start to take over? You probably aren’t being awkward but you might feel like it.

There are times when you just need a kind word. Knowing that you have someone close to you that you can rely on means a lot in a trying time.

On the other hand, you probably want to make sure you know what this message means before you respond in such a genuine way. As this person learned, it might just be your Uber driver here to drop off your pizza.

When you’re in elementary school, it’s common to take on reading projects as a class. This way, the teacher can simultaneously help everyone improve their reading skills.

Yet, if you were one of the students who were in the class and waiting to read is nerve-wracking. You probably spend a lot of it wondering if something might go wrong and make the whole thing into some impossible social faux pas, so you can practice ahead of time.

It’s always fun to make plans with friends that you’re excited about. However, you’re not always as excited on the day that plans get there. If it’s a group activity, though, you won’t want to cancel on everyone last minute, right?

So, it seems like all that’s left to do is to wait around for the event to start. Doesn’t that sound like a fun way to spend the day that will leave you with a lot of energy for socializing?

There are some people who can’t wait to get out of the house when they get their day started. For other people, it’s not quite as exciting of a prospect.

To many introverts, a day at home with their pets and their favorite show is just the thing they need for a perfect, relaxing day. So, if something encourages them to get up and out the door, you know that they’re serious about it as they leave their comfort zone. That’s something this person was quick to point out.

When something socially awkward does happen — and it’s bound to from time to time — how do you handle it? Can you just put it behind you and forget?

Unfortunately, not every person can do this so easily. Sometimes, it’s hard to let go of even passing awkward comments even hours after the interaction has ended. Perhaps you might even think about it for days, weeks, months, or even years on end.

There are some things that always feel awkward no matter how many times you do them. For example, who really ever wants to call a stranger on the phone? Luckily, there are some tricks you can use.

Maybe you can make notes on what to mention, try a little mindfulness, or even just throw your phone straight into the lake — as this person recommends. It would definitely help you avoid any social awkwardness on the call.

There are some situations in which you simply don’t know what to do. In the end, there might not be a right answer. Take the example that this person gave.

When you’re meeting up with someone and you see them far down the hall, what do you do? Do you wave and look away? You surely can’t wave the whole time. Plus, where do you look? Are you supposed to just maintain eye contact until you’re within reasonable talking distance?

When you go to a restaurant, you get the chance to choose something tasty to order. Sometimes, though, there are bound to be mistakes.

What do you do when that ultimately awkward moment happens to you? Do you call the waiter or waitress back over and tell them that they got your order wrong or is that too risky? Actually, maybe this new dish doesn’t look so bad.

While you sometimes need support, you probably need some time to yourself as well. What socially awkward thing could happen to you when you’re alone? As such, we can see why this person cultivated this list of hobbies.

Not speaking to anyone? No way for anything awkward to happen. If it does, there aren’t any witnesses to remember it, at least. However, that does leave time to prepare for completely unreasonable situations that you’ll never actually find yourself in.

As we’ve covered, phone calls are a common source of anxiety. It’s even more anxiety-inducing to see a phone number you don’t recognize on the screen.

The fastest way to find out who’s calling you is to answer the phone and see — or, rather, hear — the person on the other end of the line. If you don’t want to risk that potentially socially awkward moment at all, though, you can always search the number online and see if anything comes up.

There are some assumptions you can safely make. For instance, you can assume that a sunny day will bring with it blue skies. Other assumptions might work against you and anyone else involved.

That’s why people stress the importance of communication in handling relationships of all forms. On the contrary, you might find that disappearing on an assumption is a bit more of a solid choice. It might be lonelier, though.

When you’re arguing at the moment, you might not think of everything clever you could possibly say at that time. You’re probably heated!

This can mean that you miss some points that would really be in your case and you might even lose the argument over it. However, when you play things back to yourself later on when you’ve cooled down a bit, you probably think of a script that would have absolutely won this conversation.

Speaking up in class when you’re in elementary, middle, or high school is already hard enough. In college, it can be harder.

In the first semesters of college, it’s hard to speak up because you’re probably in a huge lecture hall. It’s not odd to see classes with a hundred or more people packed in with you. So, you’d especially not want to experience an emotion like this one.

This person had a story that’s probably familiar to a fair number of people. As a child, they were often noted for being so quiet and mature. How long can you get praised for being mature until it’s just how you’re expected to act as an adult?

What happens then? If what this person says is true, you realize that you might have missed out on a few social chances by not interacting as much with your peers.

When you’re thinking of what you want to say, there’s not much to interrupt you. No one is going to cut in and you won’t stumble over you’re words.

When you try to put a voice to those thoughts, though, it isn’t always as easy as it seems it should be. So, yeah, you might feel a bit like this when you have a well-crafted idea that comes out as a half-cooked thought.

There are some situations when not drawing attention to something is the right answer. In these moments, you probably should turn your gaze away from what’s going on.

Of course, you should check and see if everyone’s okay in the situation but if something embarrassing happens, sometimes it’s polite to just give someone a moment of privacy. For instance, there’s no need to stare if someone rips their pants.

There are some things that are always concerning, no matter how many times you have to do them. For instance, you might look away every time you get a shot, even if you stop by annually to stave off the flu.

For some people, you can get that same itch of anxiety from the morning roll call in school. After all, you have to say something in front of the whole class, even if it is only one word. Maybe you’re overthinking it but anxiety can make you do that.

When you flub something in a social setting, you probably have trouble forgetting it. In fact, it’s probably bigger to you than anyone else in the room.

This person even noted that it was something they were likely to forget sooner rather than later. Still, their brain just couldn’t let go of it. While this joke is clearly a bit hyperbolic, it’s no joke that you might ruminate on the mistake.

When you fight with someone, it’s hard to just move on and forget. That’s even harder when voices start to raise and harsh words start to fly. Not to mention, a lot of people react very strongly to being yelled at.

It’s not always an immediate reaction either. Sometimes, it’s only when you lay down in bed later that night and think about your day and notice that things aren’t quite as settled as you thought.

There are some things that people have found to work for their social anxiety. They might stick with people they know at a party or have a phone to scroll on if things get awkward.

In a pinch, you can always escape for a few minutes to head to the bathroom and scroll on your phone in peace and quiet. If that starts to get old, though, you can always find new and exciting anxieties like the ones mentioned here.

There are some things that can really feel awkward. If you’re talking only to notice everyone has lost interest, it can lead to feeling a bit of embarrassment.

If even one person cheers you on in those moments, it’s nice to know that not everyone’s attention has faded away when you thought it was your moment to share something. We’re on this person’s side — thanks to these people!

There are some situations in which you just know you’ve messed up but you aren’t quite sure what to do. You definitely didn’t mean to. This sentiment is surely one we’ve all felt.

You say something you didn’t mean to come across as harsh to your friend and they’re offended. All you can do is try to figure out where you went wrong and apologize. This face is pretty indicative of what that feels like.

When you want to go out but you’re afraid of something awkward happening, you have two options. Do you stick around inside or go out?

The first option gives you the chance to miss out on anything socially awkward but also anything positive that may have happened during that outing. It might make you sad. On the other hand, the anxiety of going out can really get to you sometimes.

There are some messages that you believe in so much that you have to keep them around permanently. On top of that, embroidery takes a bit of effort to accomplish.

Still, this message was important enough to at least one person to make a momento of it forever. We have to say — there are days we wake up and feel like this as well! Sometimes, you just need a day where you don’t have to see another person if you don’t want to.

When you want to join a new conversation how do you do it? It would be rude to just jump in and interrupt whoever’s talking, right? Well, what about commenting on something someone says?

But, what if that makes it seem like you were eavesdropping? All in all, you probably take an approach eerily similar to this satire article. You might just wait nearby until people start to notice you.

There are some moments that are meant to be sweet but end up being a little awkward. At the very least, they’re awkward to some of the people involved.

Obviously, if people are singing happy birthday to you, they’re probably busy, well, doing that. While they’re singing, though, what do you do? Do you know what to do? For the most part, it seems like people just wait until it’s over. It’s sweet but a bit confusing.

On a good day, it feels like you could take on anything. Then, an outing with some people you know might sound like fun rather than a chore.

The only problem is that it’s hard to predict what you’ll feel like several days or more down the road. After all, life is unpredictable and you don’t know what’ll happen. That means sometimes the “getting ready” part of things isn’t as exciting as normal.

We’ve already covered how annoying calls from unknown numbers are. The thought of answering one can provoke anxiety in even the most level people.

However, hanging up or sending someone to voicemail feels a little too harsh. Sometimes, it seems better to just let it ring — it’ll seem more like you missed it that way. Of course, now you have to wait until it stops ringing before you can use your phone again.

There are some times when you’re out with people and you can’t seem to strike a balance where you feel comfortable at the event.

If you’re like this person, you might have trouble striking a balance between how much you’d like to talk at that particular social event. If they talk more, they feel like they’re talking too much but if they talk too little, they feel as though they’re being weirdly quiet.

As we’ve said before, there’s a certain balance you have to strike when you like your alone time. At the end of the day, the aim isn’t to become lonely.

Usually, this means taking the time to reach out and spend time with the people in your life. If you don’t, you might find yourself missing them and betting a bit down about it all. So, you’re going to have to face that anxiety from time to time to balance it out — even if it isn’t easy.

We already discussed how difficult it is to be the person of honor at a birthday party when it’s time to do the cake. Specifically, the song that comes before it.

Imagine how much worse it would be if you were the only one dying! Everyone is sad, circled around you, and you’re left to be the center of attention. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dark but you get the general idea this satire piece was going for.

There are a few benefits that you can get out of not being too social, though. We’ve already mentioned it makes it harder to get caught in awkward moments.

This person had another take on it. Without multiple or huge friend groups around them, they weren’t really at risk of getting caught up in any drama. So, we guess from this perspective, you could almost jot that down as a benefit.

Have you ever really mastered something only to mess it up if someone stops to see what you’re doing? Or maybe it’s only when you’re pointedly showing them.

It seems that anxiety has a way of making us freeze in place, forgetting everything just for a moment while our brains are in fight or flight mode. Still, as justified as that is, it does feel a bit embarrassing when you’ve just shared how you can do something only to immediately mess it up.

If you aren’t comfortable going out, there’s always the option of staying in with company. Why not invite everyone over for a movie night or dinner?

Of course, that leaves you with a second problem. When the night starts to wind down, how do you approach it when you have one friend that won’t leave the house? It seems a little harsh to suddenly tell them to get out, doesn’t it?

Giving a presentation is always nerve-wracking. First, it’s in front of the whole class and second, you probably didn’t want to do it in the first place.

There is an awkward moment before the presentation, though, if the class is being particularly loud. Maybe, you’ll get to stand at the front of the class and listen while your teacher tries to quiet down your peers and get them to listen to you.

Sometimes, it really seems like you can’t get away from those moments when you’re out in public and things start to get really awkward. Even worse, it could happen at any time.

As a matter of fact, you don’t even have to be in public for something awkward to happen. All you have to do is say something wrong. Maybe we should just mark down the whole thing as a bit awkward and just do the best we can.