I used to feel this way sometimes after being squeezed by alot of stress. I think parts of me were just tired from struggling, so the normal inhibitions weren't there.
I recognized this and just made myself be really quiet. I'd be polite and answer co-workers, but I stopped. And I just listened.
When enough time went by, my body recovered from all the stress. Then one day I'd feel ok enough to engage in a social conversation, so I'd talk a little. The tension and anxious energy was no longer driving me. And then I could relax my self-imposed quiet and return to the social life.
The funny thing is that during my self-imposed quiet, I learned something: the value of just listening. If I could improve one thing about myself, I wish I was consistently a better listener.
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