Acknowledge the embarrassment. If you do something unexpected and embarrassing, such as spilling your drink on the conference room table or calling your boss by the wrong name, acknowledging the situation helps lighten the mood. For instance, say "I am so sorry I called you the wrong name! It is because so-and-so has been on my mind this week.
If you spill something or trip on the ground, ask an onlooker to help you out. Instead of laughing at your mistake, they become invested in a solution to the problem. Laugh along. If you do something embarrassing during a meeting or in class, odds are good that someone in the room will giggle. Laughing at awkward situations is a natural human response, and doesn't mean that the person thinks less of you.
Laughing along shows that you have a good sense of humor and don't take yourself too seriously. Studies show that using humor to offset embarrassing situations is the most effective solution, so learn to laugh at yourself. You can make a joke if you're quick on your feet for example, if you spill coffee on a report during a meeting, you might say, "I hope there wasn't anything important in there!
Recognize if it's more than embarrassment. Sometimes the tendency to become embarrassed can be a trait of a perfectionist personality. If your fear of becoming embarrassed or being judged by others interferes with day to day activities or makes it hard for you to enjoy social life, you might have a disorder called social phobia sometimes known as social anxiety disorder. While most people experience embarrassment if they have to give a public speech or if they trip in front of a crowd, people with social phobia might be embarrassed by simple everyday things like ordering at a restaurant or eating in public.
Symptoms of social phobia usually emerge around puberty. Go to source There are several treatment options for people suffering from social phobia, including psychotherapy or medication. Talk to your doctor to get a referral to a therapist or psychologist.
Go to source. Try to remember what you've learned from the thing that made you embarrassed so you don't repeat your mistakes. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Being embarrassed is not the worst thing in life, and besides everyone gets embarrassed sometimes. Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0. Looking back at the embarrassing times is sometimes a good thing because you can learn from mistakes that you made.
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. Related wikiHows How to. How to. More References Expert Interview. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: April 23, Categories: Embarrassment.
Bahasa Indonesia: Menghindari Rasa Malu. Italiano: Evitare di Imbarazzarsi. So my mom said, "For the love of God, it's not a big deal.
I will drive the car. She had the right attitude. She got in the car and drove it around town. And that's what you have to do. So even as I never ever wanted to step foot in that homeless shelter again where I was almost arrested for sexual harassment , I returned the next week for my duty, praying to God the director was not there.
And I walked into work the day after dressing up as the security guard, turned in his uniform, and told him that he was the only one in that building with a sense of humor. And the preschool of moms that had heard about my afternoon with the ducks?
Well, I didn't win any playdates from then on, but I also didn't pull my son out of the school in fear of their opinions of me. I got back in the car. This one is easy in hindsight. I mean, embarrassment stories make great cocktail-party material. I can't tell you how many times the story about David throwing the kid into the water has worked great as an ice-breaker.
Funny stuff, people. But when you're in "sensitivity land," laughing is a tad challenging, which is why you need a good friend to help you with it. A few days ago I pulled up to a gas tank near my kids' school and discovered I was on the island with a flat tire, which did not help rumors that I was a bad driver. There's no way in hell I'd get into your passenger side -- but you can drive my kids anywhere you like! Embarrassment belongs to the disorder known as perfectionism.
Think about it. You are embarrassed because you didn't live up to your standards. There is a small or wide gap between your expectations of yourself and your performance. As a person who writes a lot about relationships and mental health, I sometimes fool myself into thinking that I'm fixed.
I dispense the stuff on a daily basis, so obviously I live it. When I land in a messy situation, I think, "How the hell did this happen if I'm the expert? My therapist told me the other day that everyone is allowed to tilt.
There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed , times. Keep reading to learn how you can confront and cast aside embarrassment for good. Everyone gets embarrassed at some point in time, but you can deal with these feelings by addressing the situation. If you did something wrong and feel embarrassed by your choices or behavior, then apologize for your mistake so you can move forward.
On the other hand, if you embarrassed yourself by doing something silly or clumsy, try to deal with your feelings by learning to laugh at yourself.
This might also lead your friend to share some embarrassing moments that you can laugh at too. To learn how to distract yourself and others from your embarrassing moment, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers.
Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Donna Novak, Psy. D Last Updated: September 9, References. Method 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
Laugh at yourself. Laughing at things that you done can be a cleansing experience. By looking at them as silly things that happened in your past, you can help yourself to move past feelings of embarrassment.
Realize that it was just a silly mistake that probably made people do a double take or possibly even a spit take. Try discussing embarrassing moments with a trusted friend. Be compassionate towards yourself. Acknowledge your embarrassment and talk to yourself like a good friend.
Give yourself permission to feel embarrassed and understand the pain that that situation has caused for you. This can help you to ground yourself and brush off some embarrassment and with self-compassion. Focus on the present.
Once you have comforted yourself through laughter or compassion, bring yourself back into the present moment. While there's no denying that failure is part of life, it can still be embarrassing to fail at anything.
But failure, as Silva points out, is often steeped in the expectations of others. Once you understand that and put your expectations for yourself first, you can put that embarrassment into perspective and handle it better. As much as it might be embarrassing, failure is a good thing. All successful people have failed at things, both big and small. So if it's not the expectations of others that have caused your embarrassment but, instead, the expectations you have for yourself, remember that without failure, you can't grow and learn.
According to Silva, not only do you grow and learn from those failures, but it's these, along with all your other mistakes, that create self-confidence. Every time you're embarrassed, you're one step closer to mastering the art of true confidence. Although no one ever said passing the buck was a good thing, if you can see that your embarrassment is the result of your insecurities, you can have a greater understanding of how to wrangle those things back in.
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