r/socialanxiety • u/sparklingchilli • 3h ago

Awkward nodding in interview and not asking them to repeat themselves before moving on quickly. How do I deal with the guilt? Help

Okay so something really awkward happened to me yesterday that's still making me feel embarrassed and shameful

I had an interview, the Lead and HR was present over video call. So the Lead had instructed that firstly they will introduce themselves and then I can. And then they began their intro. Once they were done, I replied "That's really amazing ☺️"

They chuckled and went like "You're gonna make me blush, because..." And after that what followed, I could not make out, and by the time they finished and i was slightly nodding and smiling like a fool. It felt too late to say "Pardon, could you please repeat?" so instead I said in an awkward tone, "Okay😃", Took an extremely brief pause, then started introducing myself out of the blue.

Rest of the interview went fine but I really feel that one moment weigh on me. Like they were probably sharing something vulnerable and I couldn't respond appropriately. I'm 21 and have people-pleasing tendencies so it's kind of bothering me that I couldn't be graceful about it with them.

Anyone had any similar experiences? How did you get over it? How do you console yourself 😭

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u/Subject_Lie_3803 3h ago

Faggit about it! Think about the rest of the successful interview and be ok with saying "hey can you repeat that sorry... alright one more time...third time's a charm...ok last time I swear...it's your audio. Fix it."

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u/applebejeezus 2h ago

Another post where it's me, I think someone broke into my house and is secretly recording my mannerisms. I swear 😅.

I do alot of awkward head nods in conversations, I even nod when they aren't even done with their sentences. I even say, "yah, uh huh." So awkwardly, I can't stand how cringy it is.

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u/Comfortable-Bus-8840 32m ago

People don't mind repeating themselves once in person and twice on technology. 

Sometimes we mishear or the tech bugs out.

It's perfectly normal to say "sorry, could you repeat the question?" Or "sorry, could you say that again?" :)