‘I didn’t get a wink of rest’: Commuter asks how to tell an acquaintance you just want to rest on the bus / MRT

SINGAPORE: We’ve all been there–wanting to rest and have some quiet time to yourself while onboard public transportation, but someone accompanying you just won’t…stop…talking. A commuter took to social media on Wednesday (March 19) to ask Singaporeans for advice on what exactly he can say to an acquaintance if he just wants to rest throughout the duration of his commute.

“How do you politely tell an acquaintance that you just want to chill and rest on the bus or MRT?” This was the question an online user asked Singaporeans who commute on a regular basis. The question followed an experience where he bumped into a former classmate on a bus. “I was tired,” he shared, adding that he purposely took a long bus ride to his workplace just so he could sleep while he was on the way. However, his plans changed when a former schoolmate boarded the bus as well.

“An ex-classmate boarded same time as me,” he recalled. “He sat down beside me and started  trying to reminisce about the past even though my answers were rather curt and short.” To his dismay, his acquaintance ended up chatting for the entire duration of the ride, which lasted 45 minutes. The result? “I didn’t get a wink of rest,” the writer shared.

He then turned to Singaporeans to crowdsource ideas for the next time he found himself in a similar situation. “How should I tell acquaintances next time while it’s nice to see them, ‘please stop disturbing me’.”

In a show of support, the comments section was filled with various ways people would convey that they wanted to rest. One suggested something like: “Hi, sorry, I didn’t get much sleep and I was counting on taking a nap on the bus today. If you’re still around, can you make sure I wake up at XX stop? Meet up for coffee another time?”

Another encouraged him to be brave enough to just say, “Bro, I’m tired. I’m gonna take a nap.”

Still, others came up with rather funny solutions, from wearing shades and earphones to pretending to be ill and not wanting to pass on germs by talking.

According to the Introvert Spring blog, there are multiple ways to gracefully end a conversation. To do so, one option is to set a clear time limit beforehand and stick to it. Another is to use subtle body language cues like glancing away to wrap up. When needed, politely express your feelings by saying something like, “My social battery is low,” keeping the focus on yourself. To soften the exit, you can also suggest continuing the conversation later or propose a quiet break.

See also: ‘Another inconsiderate passenger!’ Bus passenger called out for putting feet up on seat…right next to the signage

Featured image by Freepik/freepik (for illustration purposes only)