Thread 33459048

Recently got a job. Stacking shelves. It's actually pretty good for what it is. But I'm awkward as hell so I don't know how to properly interact with my coworkers without it being uncomfortable and awkward.

What I mean is I can say hi to people the first time I see them that day and I can have a conversation with someone I just met. But beyond that I'm having difficulty

In particular what's making me anxious right now is a few of the guys was friendly with me the other day, and we ate together after work, and I'm happy that I seemed to get along with them alright, but now I don't know what to do when I see them at work.
If I just see them once I can say hi how's it going no worries. But when I keep walking past them or am working in the same aisle as them what am I supposed to do? I don't feel comfortable or confident to joke around with them like most guys seem to do.

I personally feel an urge to nod or smile to people when I walk past them, but when you do that 20 times a shift it gets a bit tiresome, right? And so when I walk past a person, what do I do? Just ignore them and look past them? That feels rude. But saying hi to someone every time you see them is probably annoying.

pls help
t. socially anxious autist

All of this you just wrote is your social anxiety talking. Your first order of business is to not get caught up in the BS it's spouting and move on with your life. It's totally fine to just walk past someone when you don't have anything in particular to say to them. They're not thinking "Damn, that guy is fucking rude," they're probably just focused on doing their job. Be okay with silence. It's fine to just do your job without starting up a conversation. However, if it feels natural, you could ask them a question about something work related, or make a comment about something in the general vicinity, or bring up a topic you guys talked about before. That should get you out of your head and focused on building your socializing muscles.

>>33459100
Good points.
It's true that when I walk past someone and they don't say anything or acknowldge me I start "mind reading", imagining that they don't like me, or also that they think I'm rude because I didn't say anything.

I would like to know what is the "normal" thing to think when walking past someone, or is it something that a normal person doesn't even think about; they'll say something if they feel so inspired but otherwise are not really thinking about it?

Perhaps a big part of my problem is a desire to be liked or fear of disapproval, and if I walked past someone I start coming up with thoughts like "did I do something wrong? Does that mean they don't like me?"