“Embarrassment is an under-explored emotion. Go out there and make a fool of yourself.” Austin Butler said this during his 2025 interview on Subway Takes with Kareem Rahma.
According to a survey done by Crown Counseling, around 77% of the population experiences a fear of public speaking, which can relate to the emotion of feeling embarrassed by the action.
But that doesn’t mean you should let that fear take over your life.
Now, I know that doing something embarrassing may seem like the worst thing in the world, but it’s not. Mistakes happen, and you can only grow from there, which is why you should embrace that emotion.
What kind of life would people live if embarrassment ruled their lives? Would they try new things or be too afraid to do it?
Most people may have had one or two embarrassing moments in their lives– it happens. Whether that be tripping in public, being singled out, or misspeaking, they’re all embarrassing moments, but don’t let them define or stop you.
The main cause of the emotion is anticipating negative reactions from a real or imagined audience. Sometimes I feel like we brace ourselves for people to laugh or point at you.
A common time for people to feel embarrassed may be when they try something new for the first time and are either afraid to mess up or do mess up. I’ve experienced the moment myself and while I felt terrible when it happened, I did my best to not let that stop me from trying again and again until I got better.
You won’t get any better if you let yourself quit after one try.
Doctors also recommend trying new things since stepping outside your comfort zone can release dopamine for a natural mood lift. That’s not the only thing it does; trying out new things can help break boredom, build confidence, discover hidden talent, and help your brain health.
Outside of the physical or mental benefits it can have, you may also expand your social circle and make new friends!
As reported by the American Psychological Association, there are ways to reduce or get rid of your embarrassment at the moment. Laugh at yourself. Take a moment, realize what you did, and laugh at it.
It lets you realize that what you did was a mistake and allows your brain not to stress over it. The APA also states that people may perceive you in a more positive light when you laugh at your own mistakes.
There are other things that you can do to ease the feeling of embarrassment, like taking deep breaths, acknowledging it, or practicing the 5-5-5 strategy: asking whether this matters in five minutes, five days, or five years.
Doing these things could rationalize your feelings and allow the embarrassment to go away.
One thing I do when trying to get over my fear of embarrassment, especially when it comes to trying new things, is understanding that people do not care.
Most people are so caught up in their own lives that they simply do not care if they walk past someone recording a vlog, practicing the guitar or whatever you want to try.
We often overestimate how much people notice or care about what others are doing, and I feel as though that often leads to more embarrassment. This comes from a psychological cognitive bias called the spotlight effect, where the human brain overestimates how much others are noticing us.
While there’s no sure-fire way to stop self-consciousness or embarrassment, there are ways to embrace it.