Overcoming embarrassment: 5 useful tips

Several keys for stepping up and overcoming a sense of ridicule when necessary.

Much of who we are as individuals has to do with how others perceive us. This means that, although we may not realize it, a facet of our identity is related to the image we project, the way others react to seeing us or interacting with us.

Shame is a relevant psychological phenomenon that has to do with the above. Because of its existence, we worry about what others will think of us, so that in many situations we are less likely to be socially isolated. However, in certain contexts embarrassment ceases to be a help and becomes an obstacle, something that distances us from what we would like to achieve and leads to an extreme form of shyness.

In this article we will look at some keys to lose the shame and to dare to take a step towards what we have proposed, in spite of the fact that it supposes to have a social exposure that at first causes respect.

How to overcome embarrassment

The steps to follow below must be adapted to the particular circumstances in which you live but, in addition, it is not enough to read and keep in mind these ideas. It is necessary to combine the change of beliefs with the change of actions.If we only stick to the former, probably no change will take place.

1. Get used to expose your imperfections.

It is impossible to maintain a perfect image or to make others idealize us constantly. Everyone makes small mistakes, misunderstandings, misinterpretationsEveryone makes small mistakes, falls into misinterpretations, and exposes themselves to uncomfortable situations. The tension generated by trying to maintain this illusion can generate a very high sense of ridicule and a great fear of embarrassment.

Thus, one must learn to own one's imperfections and show them to others without fear. In this way there is the paradox that they are downplayed by recognizing their existence.

2. Set yourself goals and force yourself to do so.

If you stop a lot thinking about whether or not to do what you are nervous about because of the possibility of making a fool of yourself, you will automatically create excuses that will allow you to throw in the towel and give up at the slightest opportunity, even if it is unreasonable to change your mind in that way.

So, make commitments to yourself and, if possible, to others. In these cases, setting limits helps to expand the margins of your own freedom.It makes it easier to take the step and do something that was a challenge and that, once done, will not be so difficult to repeat.

3. Surround yourself with uninhibited people

Social context matters a lot. For example, anyone who has been through an acting class knows that in the first few days, watching others lose their embarrassment makes you loosen up a lot more in a matter of minutes, doing things you've never done before.

This same principle can be applied to small day-to-day habits outside of the acting profession. If we get used to being around people who are not obsessed with the public image they give and express themselves spontaneously, we will tend to imitate those patterns of behavior and thinking, despite the fact that our personality continues to influence us..

4. Work on your self-esteem

If we believe that we are worth less than the rest, it is easy to end up assuming that there is something wrong with us that must be hidden from others, since in a matter of seconds it can expose us.

So, we need to work on our beliefs to make them conform to a fairer view of ourselves. to conform to a fairer and more realistic view of oneself.. Considering that people with low self-esteem tend to blame themselves for things that happen to them by accident or by the influence of others, the focus should be on learning to see one's limitations as a product of the circumstances in which one lives (and has lived in the past) and the decisions one makes.

5. Distance yourself

It is often beneficial to take a step back and distance yourself from what you are experiencing in the present; i.e., to see it as it would be seen by a third person who is not directly involved in what is happening.. In this way it is easier to stop thinking about what people will say and lose the embarrassment.

Stop obsessing about what others are thinking and concentrate on what is objectively happening, as happens when watching a movie or playing a video game, usually helps. However, only on occasions when embarrassment is close at hand, since in other situations, this has negative effects, depersonalizing others and making empathy more complicated.