Buzz
Just as you're about to fall asleep and drift into peaceful slumber, it hits you—that awkward moment when you made a complete fool of yourself in high school (or during a job interview, or any other social situation). No matter what, the memory lingers, refusing to fade into the back of your mind.
In a Reddit thread, users shared some of the most cringeworthy moments that keep them up at night, looping in their minds like they're stuck on a never-ending playlist.
“Back in high school, there was this big debate that I was preparing for,” u/theenkrypt recalls of his awkward experience. “... I was nervous, but I knew from practice that once I stepped up to the stage and started talking, things would get easier and the rest would be smooth. So, I walked up to the mic, cleared my throat, and out came: ‘Welcome, dalies and mentlegen.’”
Why do we tend to replay our most cringe-worthy, heart-stopping moments? Perhaps that embarrassing moment wasn't as terrible as it seemed, and taking the time to reflect on it helps put it into perspective. Or, as the Cut suggests, it could be triggered by something in your surroundings that brings you back to that exact moment, rather than some deeper urge to rehash it. Whatever the reason, it can often become a major distraction when you least need it.
My own intrusive embarrassing moment occurred during an internship interview in college. Since I was early, the hiring manager kindly asked me to wait outside while they finished a meeting. As I dug through my backpack for my resume, everything—my resume, cover letter, and a pile of homework—fell and somehow slid perfectly under the door in front of me, as though it was signaling to the entire staff that I was fed up with waiting and shoved my belongings under the door in protest. As you can imagine, the meeting went quiet, and I seriously considered leaving the interview altogether. (I didn’t, though I didn’t get the internship either.)
If you're looking to avoid reliving those moments, well, dalies and mentlegen, it’s easier said than done, but here are a few tricks that might help you stop them in their tracks.
Think about it briefly, or focus on the mundane details.
One option, as Leah Beckmann suggested in Jezebel, is the seven-second technique: take exactly seven seconds to cringe and then move on. The chances are, the other people involved have likely spent less time thinking about it than you have. This method helps you avoid repressing what's bothering you while also steering clear of unnecessary obsession. Take a few moments to sit with the discomfort and then let it go, as best you can.
Alternatively, there's the near-opposite method. Focus on the trivial details surrounding the event, as the Cut suggests. For example, if the cringe-worthy moment involves an awkward conversation at an office happy hour, think about the drink you had or the conversations that night that weren’t awkward. This can help reduce the negative feelings associated with the experience, and you may even find yourself distracted enough to forget about it. The next time it pops into your mind, it might not sting as much.
If that doesn’t work, here’s a tactic to help you reframe your mistakes. Over on Reddit, u/allenthalbenn suggests reflecting on the last significant mistake you saw someone else make. “It’s actually quite difficult to recall,” they write. “People generally don’t remember or care about the embarrassing or cringey things others have done because they’re too focused on their own lives.”
And if a mistake does come to mind, chances are it’s not as big of a deal in your eyes (except for some major lapses in judgment). Still, this can help you be less hard on yourself when similar situations arise. And in case you need a little boost, here’s how to move past mistakes—embarrassing or otherwise—and the importance of practicing self-compassion.
