Approaching someone with a “hi” or a “how are you.” And having them act as if you are invisible to them. This is worse when a third party witnesses it.

This is when someone is showing a crowd something, like a picture on their phone. You either aren’t part of the initial viewers and have to wait, or they don’t show you at all.

It happens to all of us, right? But it can be embarrassing when it happens in the middle of a meeting or a quiet class.

Some people feel very uncomfortable when they run out of things to say. They can’t stand the silence, but don’t know how to end a conversation.

You scuff your shoe across a tile floor. Or shift on a leather sofa. And there’s a fart sound that you can’t convince people you didn’t make—because there is no way you can replicate the sound.

Have you ever met and spoken to someone multiple times, but you just can’t remember their name? And you are too embarrassed to tell them?

You are in a class or meeting. And despite the fact you haven’t raised your hand to answer, you are called on to answer. And it’s killing you because you don’t know the answer.

Those uncomfortable moments when you are a kid. You’re over at your friend’s house and their mother starts yelling at them about something.

Why is it so terribly embarrassing to be watching TV or a movie with your parents and there is a sex scene? It doesn’t seem to bother them, but it’s killing you.

When someone waves at you and you wave back. And then you realize they weren’t waving at you at all, it was someone behind you.

When you are in the checkout line and the cashier hands you your change. But they hand you the coins on top of the bills and receipt and you are trying to hold on to everything while grabbing your bags and getting out of the way for the next person in line.

When you have a delay in the connection and you both end up talking at the same time. So you both stop and wait for the other. Then start talking again at the same time.

When someone asks you something, but you reply with the wrong answer. For example, someone asks “what’s going on?” and you respond “Good, you?”

You can feel it. You know it’s there, but you can’t control it. It happens at times like when you receive a gift you don’t really like but smile anyway.

You don’t just trip, you trip for no reason. And you have to look back over your shoulder to see what invisible thing made you stumble.

This is happening more and more now that people are talking to someone via their earbuds. But the situation is when someone who is close to you, often a complete stranger, says hello, and you respond. Only to realize they were answering their phone.

You’re with a crowd and you tell a funny joke. And there is dead silence in reply. Either they don’t get it or the just didn’t think it was funny.

You swallow your water—or something else—wrong and a coughing fit starts. You suddenly feel like a criminal, as everyone glares at you.

You’re on the street with someone, and you say goodbye to each other. Then you both start walking in the same direction. Why does that make us feel so uncomfortable?

You’re in a conversation with someone, and you don’t hear something they said. You ask them to repeat it and they do, but you still don’t know what they said. What do you do? Ask them to repeat again or pretend you heard?

When you are with friends and they are talking about something you know nothing about. Chances are—if they really are your friends—they aren’t deliberately being mean, but you still feel bad.

When you are somewhere, often at work, and wash your hands. The water leaves the faucet at about a million miles an hour and splashes you in your crotch.

That awkward moment when you go in for a hug, but the other person sticks out their hand for a shake. So you stick out your hand at the last moment, but now hands are where they shouldn’t be.

When you and another person—either in person or on Zoom/Teams/Skype—try to let the other speak first. But they are insisting you speak first. So no one speaks.

Sidewalks are really only wide enough for two people to walk abreast of each other. When you are in a group of three, it sucks when you are the one that has to walk behind.

You’re in a group of people and you’re in the middle of telling them about something. Only you realize that no one is really listening to you, so you slowly get quiet and hope they don’t notice.

Why do you friends or family think it’s a good thing to take you to a restaurant for your birthday—and then have the staff sing the happy birthday song to you? A lot of people aren’t too comfortable with that.

When you are in a public washroom—which is often traumatic enough—and someone tries to open the stall door. Even though it’s locked. What’s with that?

Frankly, I’m astounded this is an issue but apparently it is. People have great anxiety—rightfully so—when they call their teacher “mom” by mistake.

I imagine the horror of this would be pretty intense. And you may never revisit this place again. Have you ever clogged the toilet in someone else’s home—and they don’t have a plunger in the bathroom?

This one is for the guys. I guess having to use a urinal is bad enough, but having someone use the one right beside you when there are a lot more available must be a bit awkward.

Saying you’re sorry when you bump into someone is just good manners. Saying you’re sorry to a lamppost or some other inanimate object is embarrassing, especially when someone catches you doing it.

How often do we use that reply? Someone says “have a great weekend,” and we say “you too!” Except sometimes we’re not really paying attention to the speaker and we say “you too,” to something inappropriate.

Some people feel as though they need to have a conversation they are in an enclosed space with. An elevator for example. If you must acknowledge the other person a polite nod will do. You don’t need to strike up a conversation.

How stupid do you feel when you ask someone a question to which the answer is obvious? A nurse talks about asking a patient to follow the pen with their eyes, when she knows they are blind. Asking a person with broken legs to walk to the cot.

Those awkward moments when you nearly bump into someone, and you both move out of the way to move around the other. Except you both move in the same direction, and you do this several times, looking like you are doing a stilted dance.

When you are in a room full of people you don’t know, and you’re just casually looking around. Until someone looks back at you just as you look at them, and it seems as though you are staring at them.

Just let them go ahead. When you have a full cart of groceries you’re putting them on the belt, and you can feel the killer stare aimed at the back of you head by the person who had two things but you didn’t offer to let them go ahead of you.

Sometimes you’re fine to just text with someone, not really wanting to have a verbal conversation. But while texting they decide to call you. Do you ignore, when they know full well you have your phone in your hand?

Some people have no filter. Very few people are interested in hearing too many details about your life. Having to listen to them can be excruciating.

Here’s the deal. If you see a friend with their zipper down or the back of their skirt tucked into their hose, tell them! Spare them some embarrassment.

You’ve been through checkout and paid for everything. You have not secretly stashed something under your clothes. And yet as you leave the store, the alarm goes off and everything thinks you’re a shoplifter as they search your bags.

Coming up on someone from behind and thinking they are someone else. So you start up a conversation, or throw an arm around them in a hug, and they turn and you realize it’s a complete stranger.

Ever been in a crowded place, like a diner or café and you need a single seat? So you ask someone seated at a table with empty seats if you could sit at their table and they say no.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell where they speaker is right? So it’s embarrassing to have the cashier tell you you need to pull up farther because you’re talking to the trash can.

Many of us have had this happen. Or seen it happen to someone else. When you leave the washroom, you don’t realize you are trailing toilet paper behind you on your shoe.

There are a few things that can go wrong when wearing a skirt. It can blow up but it will settle back down, so no biggie. But when you accidently tuck the bottom of your skirt into your hose or panties, it’s there for good.

Or tripping over your own feet. It really doesn’t matter what we trip over, why are we more concerned about who may have seen it than anything else? Sprained ankle? That’s cool—at least no one saw.

You’re at the cash register and you haven’t seen the signs all over the place that the machines are down, and they are only accepting cash. Of course, you only have a few bucks in your wallet, and you have just put hundreds of dollars of groceries on the belt. And there is a line up behind you.

Hearing a ripping sound and realizing it wasn’t a fart should be a good thing. Until you realize that ripping sound was the seam splitting open on the seat of your pants.