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How much can stress affect my ability to make small talk?
What do you recommend I do to avoid/reduce stress most effectively?
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10 Replies
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Stress can interfere with many things we try to do. Some people can be very anxious about being evaluated socially and therefore are reluctant to make small talk because they are concerned about how other people will perceive their comments. In those situations, try to focus on the other person and draw him or her out- once he or she is chatting, you may start to feel more comfortable too.
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2
I try to do that but then we ran out of conversation. The whole situation becomes so awkward.
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26
It happened to me many times. I think you should channel your inner curiosity when that happens. When you ask “how are you?” or “how was your weekend?”, approach the conversation with genuine interest. Carefully listen to the other person, and provide a thoughtful response. If you show true interest, you’ll invite further discussion and set a positive tone for future interactions.
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Lots of strategies can reduce stress- try to maintain regular sleep/ eat/ exercise habits as much as possible, say “no” when overwhelmed with tasks, turn off news/ information for some mental downtime, spend time with people who make you feel good, participate in something with others (a sport, volunteering, religious services) or maybe find your own quiet rituals to take some slow breaths and let go of the day’s pressures. These are only a start in trying to reduce stress.
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You need to understand first where your stress is stemming from. Find the root cause. You can’t avoid it if you can’t find the root cause first.
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Yes, right right Navya. It’s really impossible to pin point the actual root cause honestly. ????
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26
Ask questions. By allowing the other person to take center stage initially, you can build your comfort level and test the waters before sharing your own thoughts. If you feel uncomfortable or fatigued mid-conversation, ask more questions and subtly turn the attention away from yourself.
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To add to this comment, if you relentlessly pepper the other person with questions, it will feel like an interrogation. At some point, you must share a bit about yourself. Do not provide one-word, closed responses; these cut the conversation short. Instead, embellish your responses with juicy tidbits of information. By providing multi-faceted responses, you can provide “hooks” for the other person to continue the conversation.
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Thank you so much for your suggestions. I’ll try them and let you know about my progress.
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291
I have read somewhere that our brain functions differently in two situations. The situations can be of two types: Emergency and general. When your brain feels you are stressed about something, it automatically turns on the emergency side and starts reacting to things and actions differently. Your brain does this to safeguard yourself.
Honestly speaking, thinking about being stressed can even make you more stressed. So, stress can definitely make your nervous and affect your ability to make small talk. You can avoid this thing by taking interest in talking to more and more strangers, if not strangers, start with your family and friends.
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