Life is Too Short to Fear Embarrassment

Embarrassment is an emotion most of us know all too well. Though that feeling of turning beet red and sweating with clammy hands can be overwhelmingly mortifying, there is no point in fearing it.

This emotion can take many forms. Sometimes there are small, daily instances like having your fly down, waving back at someone who is actually waving to the person behind you or hearing your voice crack during a presentation. Then, there are larger moments of humiliation — ones that leave us overthinking for weeks and regretting every action that led up to the event.

Around this time last year, I went out with a guy I really liked until he, unfortunately, ended things. Oh well. A month later, I ran into him at the climbing wall — mind you, I was still bummed about the rejection — and he asked if I was going to hit a V7. I was obviously not, but instead of saying something cool and cunning, I said, “Anything for you.” 

I said this with a huge pause between each word. It was not fun and flirty, but instead very awkward and embarrassing. Not only did he hear this response and laugh at me, but everyone around me did too. I died a little inside that day. 

This may have been embarrassing, but looking back on it now, it wasn’t the end of the world. I realized that when we worry too much about a social faux pas or appearing foolish, we start to conceal our true selves. 

So what if your joke doesn’t land? So what if you shoot your shot and miss? So what if you say something weird and goofy, like I did? Yes, these moments are embarrassing, but they are also part of being a human who interacts with other humans. 

Fortunately for me, I am not the only student at MSU who’s had embarrassing moments. Grace Anne Monroe, a graphic design major, shared one of her experiences. 

Three days into her freshman year, Monroe thought she’d get outside and hike with some new friends from her dorm. The place of choice was Lava Lake, which is beautiful, scenic and also at about 7,130 feet of elevation. The kicker: Monroe is from Dallas, a city at sea level. The next thing she knew, her group was practically running the hike. 

“I’m trying to hold myself together because they’re a bunch of really cool granola outdoorsy people,” Monroe said. Unfortunately, the elevation got the best of her. “I projectile vomited on the trail everywhere and this girl had to take me home,” she said.

Laughing off an embarrassing moment is easier said than done. There have been times when I refused to talk to certain people because of what I said or did. Insecurity can really thrive off embarrassment, but pushing past these negative emotions is one way we learn and develop our character.

“That specific situation set me back a lot with my outdoorsiness,” Monroe said. 

Similarly, when I went snowboarding last year, I ate it so many times in front of so many people that I decided to not touch a snowboard for months. Insecurity prevented me from taking risks and trying again, just because of a moment that no one remembers but me. How silly is that?

“In the end, most of [my embarrassing moments] I feel like are never life or death. It’s just something that happened and [I feel] embarrassed. I think those moments will help us grow,” said Katherine Sexton, a hospitality major. 

She’s right. Once the moment happens, all you can do is learn from it and move on. Sometimes the best part of embarrassing memories is that they’re funny. Perhaps they aren’t to you in that moment, but they eventually become great stories. 

We are human, and humans do very silly things. We spew milk out of our noses, say weird things to our crushes and pee our pants in public. Regardless of what embarrassing things you’ve experienced, don’t let them stop you from putting yourself out there. Life is too short to hold yourself back.

Take it from Monroe: “To be cringe is to be free.”