EMBARRASSMENT: MY EXPERIENCE AND A BRIEF 'WHAT TO DO'

Photo by Brett Jordan

It was a wonderful day, a beautiful afternoon and we were having a really nice lecture. I was carried away with my usual chatter when silence suddenly fell upon the class and I was brought back to the present.

 

‘What’s the difference between signs and symptoms?’, the lecturer repeated with a smile on his face. I hadn’t been paying attention but the question seemed rather too simple to make the class so quiet. With no answer forthcoming, and my dislike for the cases of ‘turning class questions to typed assignments’, I decided to help out. Nothing serious, just being a good boy, saving everybody, even Superman would be proud.

 

I raised my hand, he signalled for me to speak.

 

“Well sir, signs are physical...”, I started dishing it out, hot, fresh from the pot. After some lines, I had to stop myself because I felt I had done it justice. You know the feeling of giving your lecturer both assignment and course outline in your answer script? That was it.

 

As I was rounding up though, I caught one of my coursemates giving me the ‘but why’ look. I scanned around and saw some stifling laughter. I hit the ground from cloud nine so fast, I was no longer sure I ever floated.

 

‘Ah ah... what happened na?’

 

Someone else raised their hand – still don’t know if it was a guy or a girl.

 

Photo by Taylor Wilcox

“Sir, symptoms are felt and signs are observed”. As she let out the very brief sentence, every other voice including the lecturer’s appreciation were gradually fading. At that moment, though I was sitting, I felt I was standing. I was praying for the earth to swallow me and all traces of my existence.

 

He(the lecturer) had said the very same phrase and emphasized it while I wasn’t focused. Almost everyone knew the answer to the question, they either just didn’t bother or each was waiting for the other to answer it. My goodwill didn’t turn out so good.

 

I was grateful for one thing: that I wasn’t fair in complexion because my face would have definitely been all shades of pink and shame.

 

 

Embarrassment is a feeling of self-consciousness or humiliation. Basically an emotional state of discomfort experienced when someone violates a ‘social rule’.

As a very relatable spice of life, embarrassment though unwanted is a beautiful thing in itself. A constant reminder that we can easily make mistakes and that it can really be totally out of our hands. Dealing with embarrassment however, differs with the situation and the person.

 

Photo by Abhidev Vaishnav

Not all situations will have you laughing along at your silly mistake. But in most cases, with time your experience turns to a joke you make with your friends or one they tease you with. Try not to beat yourself up about how else you should have replied someone, or why you didn’t listen when a voice told you not to wear your favourite heels et cetera. Laugh along, or leave the area to compose yourself. It’s far from easy, especially for perfectionists, but you can’t really rewind time so deal with it – and appropriately.

 

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