How do you bounce back from extreme embarrassment?

27 comments

1. Honestly I pretend this is all a simulation, don’t know if that’s healthy but eh

2. I remember that I don’t matter that much to people. It’s weirdly comforting.

3. Avoid anyone involved, deny it and lie to myself, push it to the darkest depths of my mind and then unwillingly vividly replay it every time I try and fall asleep.

4. How extreme is the embarrassment? I don’t usually give many fucks. Nobody else cares as much as you do. I’ve used this approach to cope with everything from farting in front of my boyfriend to falling in the street. I genuinely can’t imagine the scenario where others would think about it more than the embarrassed person.

5. Can you share what it is or what it’s related to?

   If not, it’s okay. What I have done is make a joke out of it. Life is too short to really give a fucx 🤷🏻‍♀️

6. I accept that it happened. The biggest problem with being embarassed is replaying the incident over and over and analyzing ways it could have gone differently or what the people who saw you must think now. Well the thing is it did happen just the way it did, there is no changing it and they all saw. So might as well just continue your life. Unless you’re in high school and surrounded by bullies nothing will change.

7. You are only embarrassed if you feel embarrassed. I have neve felt embarrassed. Maybe you could give an example of an extreme embarrassment?

8. Crack jokes and/or pretend it never happened.

9. I’m sorry you’re going through this right now. Extreme embarrassment feels terrible.

   I know it feels terrible because I have been through it. Every person has been through it. Extreme embarrassment is a life experience we have to go through at some point more than once typically.

   Have a self-care day and remind yourself you are not the only person who has been terribly embarrassed. You are a person who deserves compassion.

10. I remember most of my life is a series of embarrassing events which make a pretty funny story.

11. I remind myself of the super embarrassing thing I did last week that makes this thing look like something minor

12. Just embarrassment in general, I usually laugh at myself, shake it off and pretend it never happened.

13. Think of mine and realize it’s probably worse and you’re gonna be ok. We got new pads for pole vault this year and they were still pretty stiff, they let me try it first because I was on the team the longest and everyone watched in complete silence as I went up, and down , and the second I fell on the pad it forced a giant fart out of me and everyone just stared fighting a smile back. Then proceeded to say that my body was getting old since I just turned 18 🙃

14. I’ve always had a talent for being able to laugh at myself so I can brush it off pretty easily. Even “that time” when I was absolutely mortified

15. Well, just try to remember some extereme embarrassement moments you lived in the past. Helarious right? let time heal it, you’ll live to see it become a joke.

16. I pretend like it didn’t happen.

17. If this an alcohol post, my experience was that things are far better if you’re unconscious when it’s all happening to you. You don’t have anything to remember.

    Being awake, embarrassing yourself, and remembering things is a different kettle of fish entirely.

18. No one cares.
    Honestly.
    We tend to over criticize ourselves.

19. Act like you did it on purpose and look like a badass. Say, “yeah take that!” Then walk away with your head held high.

20. Do something even more embarrassing so this one doesn’t matter anymore, then laugh at them both. Who cares?!!

21. I try to forget and just bury it to the depth of my mind

22. Pretend you’re in a sitcom.

    Or push it deep deep down and try not to think about it.

    Although something that helps me is thinking about things that were extremely embarrassing when I was younger. Specifically all the dumb stuff from when I was in school. It all seemed absolutely groundbreakingly traumatically humiliating but now it’s only mildly upsetting, so I know that whatever I do now won’t be that big of a deal in the future.

23. Time

24. [removed]

25. Apologize maybe? Or do something more embarrassing to take place of the previous embarrassment.

26. I count in my head until I no longer feel embarrassed. Usually the feeling fades around 120 😉

27. I read this in another sub, lifeprotips maybe. I tried it and it works for me. You play the embarrassing scenario in your head again, but this time with the seinfeld theme song. Try it