Hi guys,

For some background I am not exactly the most social butterfly. I mess up alot when it comes to simple conversation and there are days that I can't make small talk for the life of me. I feel like an alien trying to integrate into the human race, and I constantly have thoughts like "is this how you talk to people?? Am I showing the appropriate amount of emotion in this response?? Am I being too repetitive with my answers or do I need to say something better." And there are other days when I'm better at this stuff and my brain goes "I am being social. I am getting a good grade in conversation which is both normal to want and realistic to achieve :)" or "wow look at me interacting with another person :) and making correct responses that try are showing that they enjoy :)" It honestly baffles me how other people can just go with no problems and have a conversation with someone they haven't met. Around my friends and people I know, this isn't a problem, but whenever I need to do a simple task like a family reunion or a dentist appointment I find myself stumbling over my words and having a lot of trouble, which usually leads to embarrassing situations. And whenever I fuck up I wind up mulling over it for days. There are times where I am just trying to sleep and my brain is like "hey do u remember how stupid you sounded that one time 3 months ago Infront of your hairdresser?". I am really trying to practice to get better at talking but in the mean time I need ways to get over that embrassment because it is the root of all of that nervousness I have whenever I'm talking. Does anyone have any advice?

Hiya there RY,
I used to be in the same circumstances as you are in right now, I can't exactly tell you what helped me get "out of it" because personally I have no single clue....
What I can tell you tho is that working or talking a lot with elderly people can really open your eyes, that they make u realise that u should just act as you always do, act as you are, and not what is accepted by society. They made me realise as well that people dont actually remember or judge you over ever single thing you did or have done. So my tip to you is: go find some elderly people and hang out with them, or find a job in a nursery home (these jobs are very underrated but can be incredibly fun, even in the cleaning team, so no education required).
I hope this helps you and find you well!

Thx u sm for replying! I'll try this with my grandparents :)