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Even though our time with them was fun and pressure free, after they left I began to wonder if years of living with chronic pain. so far from family or friends has actually left me socially awkward. I certainly wasn't feeling awkward at the time. I made sure they had plenty to drink and munchies. We talked and laughed and I know my husband and I enjoyed ourselves. Still a part of me wonders, in hindsight, if there were some social graces we missed? Was there more we should have done to make our guests feel more comfortable?
I am aware that sometimes when we get together with people my brain will fail me, surly sparking some to wonder about what's with me. For example, someone will suggest we all go out to a festival next month. Instead of responding affirmatively right away or saying we have other plans that weekend, as would be appropriate, my brain begins to wonder what the environment will be like, what the weather may be like, where will I be in my cycle, how will I feel when the time comes... Questions that really can't be answered. Then I begin to feel the pressure of not wanting to make plans that I can't keep, having to bow out at the last minute, etc.
My mouth doesn't receive a good response in a timely manner because my brain doesn't always work the way it used to. It's little things like this that I guess I haven't adjusted to quite yet. With some forethought I'm sure I can come up with a couple staple responses to prevent some this sort of awkwardness. But there may always be a level of awkwardness to my social interactions because my life is so different from what is normal.
Do any of you feel like your chronic pain has made you socially awkward at times?
Yes I do, which is why I usually tend to only go places and hang out with my husband and family. It takes days for me to recover from an outing.
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