The kind where if you have to be around people you feel more comfortable in a group than with just one other person?

I get nervous around "dead air" if I'm with people so if I'm the only other person I feel pressure to be interesting and it's exhausting. If there's a group of people it's not so bad because it divides the responsibility of being entertaining around all of us so I don't have to worry if I'm boring. I can just chill and let other people talk.

Plus I find I'm better at bouncing off of others than initiating conversation.

    • x8vmte4nhf7joq7p [any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      As a third wheel I often do a lot of negative ruminating, but it's not all bad...definitely better than the excruciating feeling when the conversation completely dies and the other person slowly pulls out their phone. This happened to me twice on the same day recently, good times.

      I think what's so frustrating about it is that I used to be able to hold decent conversations with most people. I was never a silver-tongued devil, but I could hold down decent conversations with most people and endless conversations with closer friends and family. Now the only people I feel like I can have a good conversation with are my dad and my therapist. I remember spending hours and hours bullshitting with one friend or another...now I dread the inevitable awkward silence if we have to be in the car alone for even 5 minutes.