I hate faking social stuff at work - especially when I can't

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Today was my last day at my job -- I was laid off.

When I got to my desk this morning, some of my coworkers had put food treats on my desk along with a greeting card. I realized they were making some kind of "going-away" gesture. I know they were being very nice and normal (for themselves). But I immediately got nervous. And it was a day to be flustered and faking it -- all day.

I was scrambling, like in:

"Ok - do I take all this crap home, or am I supposed to put it out for everyone else?" (Turns out I was supposed to put it all out. Ok.)

"When others talk about the food, I think I'm supposed to encourage them to eat it -- even though why would I put it out there if they weren't supposed to?" (Yep, they liked being told to eat it. )

And it took me several people coming up and telling me what great work I had done and how much they enjoyed working with me for me to realize I was supposed to say something similar back. Then it became "Ummm... you too!" (Crap! )

What a mess. Why do people have to require all this stuff?

People are emotionally needy, myself included. It's hard to tell how much of it is for your benefit versus theirs though.