When I am given gifts, people do things for me, or any kind of interaction in general I seem like a jerk for not having the proper responses.
I don’t like interacting with most people, I have always been shy as a kid and a teen but I am adult now and I still don’t know how to talk to people like a person.
I don’t know how to say thank you without seeming awkward so a lot of the time I just don’t say it but then people think I am ungrateful for the things that they do for me or get me or what have you.
I want the interaction to be over as soon as possible so I don’t give proper responses like saying yeah or mhm. When I meet someone new and they ask me something like what my hobbies are, and I just respond with “oh I don’t really do much outside of work” when in reality I love video games, artist stuff like coloring, and I like doing stuff with my hands like wood working. I know this makes people think negatively of me but I don’t know how to be different.
I don’t think before I say things sometimes, so a lot of the jokes that I make or things that I say in response to social interactions are perceived as rude/ hurtful. This has become a major problem of mine, I am naturally a negative person due to the way my brain works but my fiancé tells me all the time that what I said is rude or that I am ungrateful.
1 comment
Have you thought of trying honesty? By that I mean it’s awkward for you and that leads to a little anxiety over doing it the “right” way. Whatever you imagine that to be. But you could just say “I’m not very good at social situations, but I want to say this is appreciated.” Most people will react well to that or at least better than something they can read into.