HOW TO GROW AS A PERSON AFTER SUFFERING EMBARRASSMENT This week we get to talk about embarrassment. Trust me, we’ve all had moments of extreme embarrassment, myself included! But as uncomfortable as it is, it’s an important feeling that helps you grow as a person. Embarrassment is an acknowledgment to ourselves and to others that we made a mistake or did something that went differently from how we had hoped.
One might experience physical discomfort, including increased heart rate, muscle tension, blushing, and a rise in temperature. When people feel embarrassed, they typically decrease eye contact, experience speech disturbances, smile, and move their bodies more. The physical and social discomfort that comes with embarrassment is often hard for people to tolerate. Yet, socially, it actually makes us more likeable; people tend to be more forgiving when we can acknowledge errors via embarrassment.
Others also tend to be more compassionate when we convey that we feel bad about what we did, which allows for healing and reconnection. By acknowledging mistakes, embarrassment can help us grow by motivating us to change. Yet, if we refuse to see that something isn’t working, we remain stuck in ineffective patterns of thinking, acting, and relating to others. This weeks question: How has embarrassment motivated you?
And, how has that motivation been used to inspire change in your life? I’d love for you to respond on my facebook group! Join my group on Facebook LOVE MY LIFE and let me know. I’ll post the question and jump on myself to chat and answer questions.
To A Life You Love, Dr. Joan Rosenberg More from my siteBook Series 21: How Does Feeling Helpless Motivate Change?Book Series 27: Conscious Vulnerability Part 2Book Series 20: The Difference Between General Shame and Core Shame
