Having a plan on how our day will go is something that makes us feel safe and in control. But as we all know, much of life is out of our control. Whenever something goes unplanned, our bodies respond naturally with a choice between “fight or flight”. This is our old evolutionary brain kicking in, trying to help us survive. Chemicals like adrenaline flow through our bodies to prepare us for finding a way to survive a dangerous situation. Luckily, most of the time there is nothing dangerous about the situation. It just happens to be uncomfortable, unplanned, or embarrassing.
If we trip over our own feet in front of a crowd or completely sweat through our shirt on a warm day, we can become self-conscious and physically tense. Being able to accept the reality of the situation, laugh off these moments, and have confidence in yourself allows you to move past an uncomfortable circumstance. By doing this, you are giving yourself grace, knowing that you are a good person that is simply trying to do your best. Moving past those awkward moments creates mental space to focus on the great things happening in your life right now instead of your body focusing on survival.
So what is the main goal here? When we embrace those awkward moments, we can move forward and focus on all the beauty and good around us! Brushing off the strange happenings can remind you that you are a kind, intelligent, and well-intentioned person that simply found yourself in a slightly unfortunate situation. We all get embarrassed sometimes and we all make mistakes. That is no reason to let it ruin a completely good day.
