A bit of the social anxiety as well I suppose.

And I'm super awkward socially sometimes, for example when I run into someone I haven't seen in a long time, and I don't know what to say/talk about. I'm not good at making small talk. And the whole time I'm thinking to myself, This is awkward. I'm sure they're thinking that this is awkward. Am I showing the appropriate amount of interest? Is this person bored? Am I looking around too much? I should make some eye contact. I wonder if a sufficient amount of time has passed to end this conversation? How do I end this conversation? Is my face red? I feel like my face is red. Yep, it's likely very red right now. Oh good, I think they're making like they need to get going... "Yes, it was good to see you too!"

I also don't know how I made it through kindergarten, because I would never talk to my teacher. I'd talk to one or two classmates, once in a while. My parents would have to have meetings with the teacher and the principal about it. I remember when I was in grade one, my teacher asked me to read a story to her after class, and I did. She bribed me with some gum in her desk drawer. Then she walked me down the hall to my old kindergarten room to read to my old teacher.

Starting high school was kind of the same thing, I became known as the 'kid who doesn't say hi'. :P I wouldn't. But I'd at least try to smile at them so they'd hopefully know I didn't hate everyone's guts. But then with some people, it was always easy to talk to them and become friends.

I've definitely gotten a lot better about it. I even surprise myself sometimes. I just have to give myself a pep talk --- that it's all in my head, which it usually is, and that I'm an adult, I should be able to do these sorts of things. :P

I just thought of something while I was reading someone else's post. Sometimes at work, if I have to make a phone call (even work-related ones), I'll try to wait until my desk neighbours are either on the phone themselves or gone from their desks, or there's a lot of noise happening before I pick up the phone, just so there's less of a chance that people will be listening to how I talk on the phone. It's seems silly. And if nobody else is in the room, I'd be able to handle the conversation 150 times better.

I would if I could. But they're desk phones with phone jacks that can't go for walks. :P