Embarrassing moments happen to us all. Find out how to brush off those blushes and cool those cringes!
Ever walked straight into a closed door or discovered your skirt tucked into your underwear?
Face-planted the floor of the bus when you stood up to get off and the bus driver hit the accelerator?
Been there.
Done it.
Got the t-shirt.
As your face burns bright red and you feel a rush of pure horror, it can be difficult to keep cool in the moment. These helpful tips can help you deal with your embarrassing experiences, both in the moment and afterwards!
Breathe and Focus
OK, so that just happened. As you feel the tell-tale blush creep up your neck and onto your face, stop. Take a second and breathe. Yes, you’re embarrassed. Know that this is a perfectly normal human reaction. Check that you’re not hurt (if you’ve tripped or fallen) and brush yourself off. You’ve got this.
Try To Laugh It Off
Silly things happen to everyone all the time. Try to see the funny side of things and brush it off. If the people around you are having a giggle about it, join in and make light of the situation. They’re also much more likely to brush it off themselves and move on if they see you’re not bothered by it.
Ignore Haters
Someone saw your embarrassing moment and is being mean about it. Guess what? this says more about them than it does about you. You don’t have time for their negativity. Hold your head up high and ignore them. Move away from the individual and get on with your day.
People forget quickly
Once the moment has calmed, people move on quickly and forget. difficult as it may have been at the time, try to do the same. Change the subject or go and do something else. People forget and move on pretty quickly. If the people around you keep going on about it, just remind them that everyone is human and we all make mistakes, have accidents or do silly things sometimes.
The Aftermath
Embarrassing moments tend to linger in the mind. You can be sitting doing homework when, all of a sudden, you’re hit by a flashback of that moment in maths when you dropped the entire contents of your bag all over the classroom floor. Cue a red face and an inner scream of, ‘Why MEEEEEE?!?!?’
Here are three techniques to try to deal with an embarrassing memory:
- Reality Check
Be kind to yourself and stop beating yourself up over this. Let’s do a quick reality check – we’ll bet every single person you know can rattle off a dozen or more times they felt completely embarrassed. It can help to chat to your friends or family about their most embarrassing moments to put your own in perspective.
- Reverse It!
Try to think about a time when a friend had an embarrassing moment. Now, think to yourself – how many times have you honestly thought about that moment? We’re guessing the answer is ‘not many’. Now, how many times do you imagine those who saw your embarrassing moment think about it? You’ve guessed it – ‘not many’. In fact, it’s very likely that they’ve completely forgotten about it which makes it easier for you to forget about it.
- Distract & Chat
Still haunted by that memory? Try to distract yourself by keeping your brain busy with a book, music or a movie. Better still, talk it over with someone you trust and be honest about how you’re feeling. A good listener and supportive friend will help you deal with your emotions and can help you to minimise the embarrassment. A cringe shared is a cringe halved because one more time for the people at the back… ?WE’RE?ALL?HUMAN!?
