Since move-in, every day feels like a humiliation ritual. My roommate and I have started tracking how many times a day we completely embarrass ourselves. But embarrassment should not get to decide what you do. Here is how I am learning to stop letting it.
Nobody Is Thinking About You as Much as You Think
First, remember that no one but you will remember your embarrassing moments. One day, I was walking along the sidewalk when I flung my phone about twenty feet in front of me, and then had to go pick it up. That moment made me want to hibernate in my room for the rest of the week. I walked all the way back to my dorm with my head down. But I remembered that nobody on that sidewalk cared. They were all walking somewhere and probably thinking about what they’d do next. Everyone has their own things going on, and they’re not paying attention to you.
Find Your People, Even If They’re Just as Weird as You
Second, find friends who embrace embarrassment. Nothing is humiliating if you have friends there to laugh about it with. For about a week, my friends and I would randomly yell out, “Rain on me, tsunami!” Once one of us said it, we all started saying it. I’m sure we probably got a few weird looks from time to time. But that memory is so much more important to me than someone else’s view that my behavior is embarrassing. If your friends think you’re humiliating them, find new friends who appreciate you.
Life Is Too Short to Take Yourself So Seriously
Lastly, stop taking yourself so seriously. We’re human, and we make mistakes. As first-years, we’re still learning how to adjust to this new lifestyle. There will be bumps in the road. Don’t hold yourself back because you’re afraid of embarrassment. I used to feel embarrassed when I was lined up at Chick-fil-A at 10:55 a.m., waiting for them to open. Then I realized that if I’m paying thousands of dollars for a meal plan, I can eat whenever I want. If you feel embarrassed in the moment, that’s okay. Trust me, you’ll look back on that moment in the future and laugh about it. My roommate’s and my embarrassment count has not gone down, but we haven’t dimmed our personalities either. We’ve just learned to accept it.