Awkwardness is that uncomfortable, clumsy feeling when a social situation goes wrong or your body won't cooperate. It's what you experience when you wave back at someone who was actually waving to the person behind you, or when you trip over your own feet in front of your whole class.

Awkwardness shows up in two main ways. Physical awkwardness happens when your movements feel uncoordinated, like when you're learning to dance and your arms and legs don't seem to know what they're doing. Social awkwardness is that squirmy feeling during uncomfortable moments, like when you forget someone's name right after they told you, or when everyone suddenly goes quiet and you're not sure what to say.

The feeling is temporary and completely normal. Many people grow out of physical awkwardness as they get more comfortable in their changing bodies. Social awkwardness often fades as you gain experience with different situations.