Mastering Social Skills: How to Stop Being Socially Awkward ASAP!

I feel socially awkward! Altogether, I’ve always felt that way and almost never knew mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP!. Especially dealing with the anxiety years back when it started. I never liked being around other kids. I only had a couple of friends because of this.

Although, I didn’t stop being socially awkward until I got the anxiety under control. It’s like when that happened, it clicked in me to be able to hold conversations with other people.

I didn’t have the feeling of not knowing what to say or afraid of saying the wrong thing anymore. All things considered, I was always afraid to give my opinion on a subject for fear that I would be ridiculed.

Now, I respect other people’s opinion’s, but I have one to. If you don’t like it, too bad.

Consequently, the definition of being socially awkward is when you feel uncomfortable and out of place in social situations. It feels unpleasant, but being socially awkward has some benefits, too. Social situations, especially when meeting new people, can be awkward.

While it feels uncomfortable at the time, there are upsides to being socially awkward.

For example, “people who are socially awkward may be more observant and analytical, which can be beneficial in certain professions,” explains Dr. Alejandro Alva, a medical doctor and board certified psychiatrist based in California.

“They may also be more honest and sincere, which can be refreshing in a world of small talk and superficial interactions.”

Socially Awkward Behavior

So, one-o-one, mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP!? Notice your behavior. When you’re in a social situation, social awkwardness may mean that you are:

Firstly, fidgeting
Sweating
Having difficulty talking
Fourthly, feeling self-conscious
Avoiding eye contact
Unable to read body language
Additionally, feeling anxious
Completely fine in large groups but feel extremely awkward one-on-one.
Feel socially disabled and afraid to go out in public.
You’re hyper-aware of social situations- they find themselves having physiological or psychological signs of hyper-awareness.” As a result, this may include overthinking, worrying about what others are thinking, thinking others are very aware of them, sweating, sensitivity of the skin or body awareness, salivating or dry mouth, change in hearing perception, or an upset stomach.
Lastly, you sometimes disconnect- feel more disconnected or “spaced out” in social situations. Therefore, in these moments the person may be feeling like they are having an out-of-body experience; they may faint or feel sleepy; or they may be forgetful, or their mind might go blank; also, they may feel overwhelming pressure in their chest or may even throw up or need to use the restroom.

Examples of Social Awkwardness

Mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP. Here are some examples of social awkwardness to quickly notice it if you’ve ever felt like this.

Social situations, especially when meeting new people, can be awkward. You may worry about saying the wrong thing, or say nothing at all while you overthink about saying the wrong thing. Hence, there might be some awkward laughing and uncomfortable silence.

In fact, people who are socially awkward may be more observant and analytical, which can be beneficial in certain professions.

Subsequently, it can be very difficult for socially awkward people to read other people’s body language or behavior.

Significantly, in some people it may manifest as shyness, difficulty forming connections with others, or overwhelming anxiety while in social settings.

Have difficulty making eye contact.

Can’t make small-talk for shit. In other words, I always end up making some foolish remark or speaking so quietly the other person can’t hear me.

Struggle to understand other people for some reason when anxious.

In short, I “Zone out” frequently and end up staring vacantly into space.

Am overly apologetic.

In essence, I can’t make decisions on the spot, so a waiter approaching me when I’m not yet ready is bound to be an awkward interaction.

Awkward Personality

Let’s say, you have an awkward personality. What does that necessarily mean? And if you have an awkward personality, mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP.

In truth, the awkwardness was sometimes sudden, but often it is from something latent—some kind of tension that has been building. Those behaviors displayed awkwardness through anxious, hesitant or avoidant actions or body language cues.

In the event that you’re frequently the person who is literally tripping over themselves or sticking their foot in their mouth saying things they don’t mean to say, you might feel as though you’re socially awkward. And often you’ll make things even more awkward by drawing attention to how awkward you are. Therefore, social awkwardness can be a vicious cycle.

But while that can be hard to deal with at times, an awkward personality actually comes with some perks, too, more often than not—like being a good listener, becoming super observant, and being more empathetic to other people’s social struggles.

Anxiety and Social Awkwardness

Undoubtedly, social awkwardness is similar to social anxiety in that they both indicate social situations induce anxiousness or stress. A socially awkward person may feel shame and isolated. Whereas, they tend to be invited less often than their socially confident counterparts, so their self-confidence may start to spiral downward, too. The longer this struggle goes on, research tells us, the harder it is to move past this struggle.

So, mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP! It’s like a double edge sword, you can get hit on both sides by anxiety and social awkwardness. They simultaneity fuel one another. On one hand, you have the anxiety because you don’t know what to say because of the awkwardness. and then on the other hand, the social awkwardness makes the situation and you more anxious. So, how to stop being socially awkward quickly. Here are some facts.

People with social anxiety disorder may worry about engaging in social situations for weeks before they happen. In this situation, sometimes they end up avoiding places or events that cause distress or generate feelings of embarrassment.

Although, some people with the disorder do not have anxiety related to social interactions but have it during performances instead. They feel symptoms of anxiety in situations such as giving a speech, competing in a sports game, or playing a musical instrument on stage.

As common as social anxiety is, not every awkward interaction means you have it. When someone suffers from social anxiety disorder, exposure to social situations or situations where they have to perform (say, a big presentation at work) it provokes anxiety. Which in turn can even induce panic attacks, which Lundquist says is different from simply feeling like you’re awkward when talking to people.

Socially Awkward and Shy

Mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP is possible. Being socially awkward and shy will not produce and outgoing, charismatic person. On the whole, both of these tributes almost feel like the same reasoning.

Shyness occurs when you haven’t done something, and you’re going to do something for first time, don’t have practice in something. For example, stage fear or some people shy in front of another gender. Awkward is a situation which is hard to deal with or sometimes it makes you embarrassed also.

Why are some people shy? Particularly, shyness is partly a result of genes a person has inherited. It’s also influenced by behaviors they’ve learned, the ways people have reacted to their shyness, and life experiences they’ve had.

My life experiences were somewhat bad in the beginning because of my shyness. To begin with, I was continuously bullied at school, which was a very big part of my social awkwardness. Subsequently, I was shot down almost every time I tried to start up a conversation with the most “popular” people in school. So I gave up trying to talk to anybody except the few friends I had.

People who are shy often get “the feeling that [they are] being judged harshly when they are in public.” Some people are also simply overstimulated by certain situations, which may lead to that social awkwardness

Socially Awkward: How to Overcome It

I suggest the following tips for mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP:

Practice small talk. Consider striking up a conversation with a stranger, such as commenting on the weather. That is so hard to do when you’re extremely shy like I was. I was ridiculed by my classmates when I would try to start a conversation and they would tell me to shut up. Hence, that really hurt (especially being a kid). I felt like I was on the low end of the totem pole (as they say). But as I grew older, I outgrew my shyness and the social awkwardness didn’t completely go away. It lessened up a bit.

Make an effort to make eye contact. This may help you appear more confident and approachable. To point out, I could never make eye contact. The eyes are the window to a person’s soul. I still believe that. So, gradually I started practicing this and now I have no problem continuously looking someone in the eyes when speaking to them. I also do it so when I tell them something, they know I’m not lying.

Focus on the other person. Ask questions and really listen to the answers. What’s more, this will help you connect with them and help the conversation flow more easily. You fixate on yourself because you’re trying not to look foolish. When you focus on the other person, you’re better in tune with what they are saying. Also, you become more acceptable of your own movements and speech.

Try to relax and be yourself. Remember that everyone has their quirks, and you’ll be more likely to find a connection with someone by being yourself. When you’re a nervous wreck most of the time, it’s hard to do anything. But everybody is different and has their own way of doing things. You just have to accept (or at least acknowledge) their personality.

Stay Present With the Discomfort. With this in mind, don’t let your mind go wondering off to some other planet and stay there. I know it’s uncomfortable trying to stay in the present, but the only way to get over being socially awkward is to trudge through the middle of it. Therefore, avoiding it only makes it much more worse.

Don’t Let It Define You. If you accidently trip over your own feet in front of someone you really like, get up, brush yourself off, and continue to move on. However, the more you move on, more and more the awkwardness is shed. You can outgrow it. And it’s not who you are personality wise. Being that, everybody makes mistakes from time to time, but they move forward with their lives. Don’t dwell!

Examine Your Perfectionism. Perfectionism kills everything in its path. Especially relationships. There’s no such thing as a perfect person even though some people like to think they are. Therefore, remove them out of your life. They’re toxic. By the same token, if you’re trying to be perfect, find out why. Are you trying to impress somebody? Do you think you’re Almighty God? Even so, stop trying to be perfect to show off and just be your true self. People will respond better to that.

Celebrate the Wins. Don’t just dwell on the mistakes. By and large, pat yourself on the back when you’re able to look someone in the eye when you’re talking to them. That is a major accomplishment. By all means, give yourself some kind of reward to encourage yourself to do it again. Like they say, “the more you do it, the easier it gets!” Pretty soon, social awkwardness will be in the past.

Conclusion

Mastering social skills: how to stop being socially awkward ASAP is achievable. Sometimes, people feel awkward or socially unaware in any situation. Furthermore, you may feel intense fear of talking to new people and being humiliated in social settings. You may misread social cues or feel physically anxious.

Being socially outcasted or rejected can feel more painful than physical pain. Moreover, loneliness is at nearly epidemic levels in America. Being socially outcasted or rejected can feel more painful than physical pain.

When you feel socially inept, you may apologize for your behavior out of embarrassment or shame.

Consequently, socially awkward people often create a subconscious identity around their lack of social skills. For example, they may say, “sorry I’m so awkward,” “I’ve always been shy,” or “I have social anxiety.”

Even so, building new social skills requires changing how you perceive yourself in social situations. The more times you practice overcoming social awkwardness, the prouder you’ll be of yourself. Following that, you’ll gain more and more self-confidence.

It takes time to step out of your comfort zone, but if you go forward with a slow and steady pace, you will do it. Go at your own pace so you don’t get overwhelmed. Be patient, and give yourself a high-five!