Handling embarrassments

“I was already midway my speech when I abruptly stopped, I had totally forgotten the next lines and it was to be recited offhand. The audience started clapping for me, deep down I knew they wanted me to get off the stage because they were young people mostly students and when they clapped like that, that is exactly what they mean especially when it was accompanied with laughter and jeers. After stuttering for about 2mins, I gave up and climbed down from the podium. That was my first speech to an audience of young people and I had never been more embarrassed my whole life”. Tara says.
When Femi was called to speak in front of the whole congregation at a campus fellowship he didn’t know his trouser’s zip had worn out and his underwear were revealing. It was when an usher came to whisper in his ears that he knew the reason for the congregation’s chuckles. Femi confessed how embarrassed he was.

To be embarrassed is to be disgraced, ashamed, nervous or uncomfortable in a social situation especially when it involves a large number of people. Shy people are more embarrassed than their counterparts. Being shy is another issue entirely which would be discussed later. But a lot of people believe that being shy is being modest, you don’t want to come out of your shell you like to be hidden so that no one will see you and condemn you, sorry to burst your bubble but no! Being shy doesn’t portray you as modest but as selfish. When you are shy all your feelings, emotions and actions are revolving around you, what you feel, think and what other people say about you. Being shy makes you concentrate more on your weaknesses and what other people will say about them. This brings me back to embarrassment. The reason we feel embarrassed when something unusual happens to us its because we think of how other people who witness it react to it and what they say about the situation. We also think of how much its going to affect our self esteem even our ego.

Some people even go about months after still carrying the image of how they were embarrassed in their heads so that when someone acts funny towards them they think “oh why won’t he do that to me when he obviously saw my show of shame” then they go over self pity, depression, self condemnation all over again.
How can we then handle embarrassment? Truth is embarrassing situations will always come, especially when you are moving up the ladder of success only stagnant people never get embarrassed . Besides , being stagnant is embarrassing. The best thing to do as recommended by a psychologist is to do what others around you are doing at that moment

LAUGH. Laugh with them, even when they are not laughing just laugh all the same at yourself. Humour is the best weapon to use. You could also do yourself good by avoiding potential embarrassing situations for example if you know you will be embarrassed if a man sees your underwear, do not spread it where he will see it.
You should also correct yourself immediately or change the subject. if someone jests you, do not argue or allow it get to you, shrug it off, remember it will definitely pass away and be forgotten.

We all have our experiences and a lot of moments we’ve been embarrassed. But that is a pointer to the fact that we are alive, growing and moving forward. The way we handle embarrassments determine how well we grow and how far we go.