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8 ways to save everyday situations from becoming awkward

awkward 8 ways to save everyday situations from becoming awkward

Miss Molly G. Willikers, Flickr

I know buddy, life can be a real son of a bitch bastard, sometimes. And even if you take out all the pain, anger and confusion, it can still be tough! What I’m talking about is when things get a little bit awkward. We spend so much time and energy trying to avoid awkward situations when we could be preventing or facing them so we have a grasp on how to minimize their impact on our lives. Let’s talk about some everyday situations and how to keep them from getting…awwwwkwarrrrrrrrrrrrrrd!

Photo credit: Miss Molly G. Willikers, Flickr

8 When You Forget Someone’s Name

Rather than trying out the ridiculous exercise the above image suggests, why not just pretend you don’t know how to spell their name? This won’t work in every situation, but for example if you’re putting a girls number into your phone ask how they spell it. They’ll either give you a good clue, (“Oh, it’s with an ‘ey’”), spell it out for you (success!) or be like….uh…really? Yes, really. Just make up a funny story, like what if one time you dated an Asian chick whose name was Soo and you spelled it as Sue, effectively ending your relationship?

7 When You Need to be Critical

The more honest you are, the better you can help whoever is asking your opinion to achieve success, even if your feedback is only one layer in their decision process. Just remember, the more critical you are the more you should try to be positive about their attempt and what is working.

6 When You Need to Break Up

Don’t ignore her, don’t give her the run around, don’t pretend everything is cool. Some break-ups can be avoided with clear communication. If she’s not who you thought she was, then yes, you probably need to break up. But, if she’s awesome but isn’t meeting your needs, that’s very different and you may have to be direct about those needs and see if she’s willing to meet them. If she can’t, then at least she’ll have a better understanding of the break up.

5 When You Shouldn’t Ignore a Situation

Cards like the one above don’t exist (though they really should). Ignoring an elephant in the room makes it so much worse. Address the situation and figure out a resolution. Except if it’s something like the pie scene from American Pie and the elephant in the room is actually a dude with a pie. Nothing’s gonna keep that from being awkward.

4 When You Don’t Know How Old She Is

It’s sort of a well known no-no to ask a women how old she is. A good way to bypass that is to have a conversation about college and ask when she graduated, so you have some idea. Or if you think she’s under 18, just demand to see her driver’s license so you can be damn sure what’s up.

3 When You Need to Borrow Money

It sucks having to borrow money, so when you do it you should have a game plan. Give the person you’re borrowing from a realistic idea of when they’ll get the money back and ask them how they prefer to get it back (cash, PayPal, in-person, mail). Then – and this is key – follow through so they don’t have to hold you accountable. You’ll be much more trustworthy in their eyes and it’ll make the process a hell of a lot less awkward.

2 When People Need to Borrow Money from You

Tell them you’re happy to help (if you can) but that you have some concerns and want to discuss them first. Find out when you’ll get the money back and specify how you’d like to get it back, if possible for them. Ask them if they think like they can adhere to that without you having to ask about it. If you know they’re reliable and they agree to your terms, then hopefully you’ll avoid some of the awkwardness that comes with money-borrowing territory.

1 When Holding Open Doors for Others

The picture says it all. If you wait too long, you’re going to feel uneasy and so will they as they pound the pavement, trying to get to you so they can put that awkward moment to bed. When you’re close, though, you’d better hold that door open, otherwise you’re just a dick.

Wrap Up

THAT’S IT FOR THIS ONE. HOW ABOUT ANOTHER?

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