Ooh, I have a related thing about saying "I don't know". I actually have no problem saying that when I'm talking to people at work about a technical topic, but sometimes when someone asks me a question in my social circle, I become defensive/enraged because I interpret a question about a thing, which I have to respond to with no knowledge, as them assuming that I should be in charge of knowing about the thing and it's somehow my fault that it's not working out to their satisfaction at the moment. I suspect that more than half the time the person is just innocently asking a question, but at least some of the time they are in fact assuming it's my job to know about the thing, and I often can't tell the difference when I'm already irked.
I think my manner for a definitive "I don't know" is to look pensive, tilt my head, and say "I do not think I know [that / the answer to that]." It's not a deliberately chosen mannerism, but it's the thing that comes to mind for what I do, and it seems to work well for neither provoking hackles nor suggesting that I just haven't parsed the question, the way "dunno" might.
I have learned to say, "It is a great mystery". It helps me feel like I have replied but not blown people off nor said I'm ignorant.
Yay walking!!
Yay "Not my circus"! Having a phrase to say when temptation to strikes is really good. You can really run yourself ragged trying to help too many people.
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Yay walking!!
Yay "Not my circus"! Having a phrase to say when temptation to strikes is really good. You can really run yourself ragged trying to help too many people.
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