Embarrassing yourself in public

[Zygella]

Is it just me? I keep on going through really embarrassing stuff I've done in my head.

Cringing still about how 4 years ago I went over to greet some people I once knew. And they pretended to not know who I was. I still see them around occasionally so make sure to hurry past and look at the floor.

I can remember so much more. And I worry am I usually socially inept or are other people like this?

We were in a touristy shop in Italy a few years ago. There was a man with a tray of limoncello in tiny cups that you were allowed to take one of as you entered. DH and I had one. It was delicious.

DH come up to me in the shop a few minutes later and said he'd been out and picked up another as he came back in. He kept encouraging me to do the same, it's OK. I wasn't bothered but he kept cajoling me.

So I did, but the man moved the tray away from me, looked furious, then brought it back round to give me one but with a look of pure venom and disgust on his face. He'd remembered me but not DH.

I was so embarrassed I ran straight back onto to the coach. I still cringe now because I'm not usually a greedy CF.

For some reason I often mix up the words wedding and funeral, .I did it once, asked someone how the wedding went (I meant funeral) I was mortified, but it seems my brain is wired now to confuse the two words.

It's a bit like when you always think a certain person is called something else and you can never shake it off.

I'm having quite a stressful day and that tale and the way you told it is going to have me giggling for days. Thanks you, an awkward moment some years ago has spread joy today!. And It is actually the type of thing I would do.

@Squirrel60 I'm impressed you managed the triple....its a rare event!!

So I just said to her "you're not Debbie are you" to which she muttered a rather anxious sounding "no". I then did a little bow to my new found fans on the bus stop and sauntered off trying to look all casual. Obviously I felt like a right lemon!

This one isn't mine, if it was I wouldn't tell it.

Years ago I worked away for the season, I shared a house with a couple of Welsh girls and a bit of an oddball chap.
One night we girls went out, and one of the girls drank too much. She had to get up in the night to be sick. She dashed to the loo, bent over the toilet, and as she vomited she also soiled herself. Just at that moment oddball man had got up to go to the loo himself, and he saw the lot.

The next morning she packed her case to go home...and we were only half way through the season.

There's a reason why such painful moments loom large in the memory - to warn us not to repeat them, or similar faux pas. Unfortunately this can result in your life sometimes unfolding in your mind like an endless series of red-faced humiliations.

This can seem particularly acute if it hasn't been balanced by a history of positive achievement and accumulation of social respect etc.

In terms of being socially awkward…when I was very young, now DH booked me a spa day in a fancy place for my birthday. I had never done anything like that before.

I had booked a full body massage and the day before they called to say they were short staffed and would I mind a male masseur (I kind of did mind but, young and awkward, said no problem.)

I had no idea what to do or expect but desperately wanted to seem totally chilled. At the point where (I now realise) the therapist leaves the room to allow you to get comfortable on the table in private, I whipped off my dressing gown, butt naked in front of him. Poor man.

I still cringe.

I want to do this. But when I'm walking and see them I just feel knots in my stomach and look at the floor.

I had something similar when I moved back to my home town. DS was at primary school, the time with all the class parties. Went along to one when he was about 5 and saw/recognised a dad of one of the other kids. We were never friends at school, he was the year below me but we’d been husband and wife in a big school play in secondary school and had lots of scenes and rehearsals together. I said hi, remember me? I’ve just moved back round here. He was v dismissive And he said he didn’t! Said he was crap at thst sort of stuff (remembering). I felt really stupid. And have never really spoken to him again. No idea if he genuinely didn’t remember me or was just being rude. No real loss. But always feel bit awkward around him. He definitely wasn’t giving off a friendly vibe. And I am a nice easygoing person who usually makes friends easily.

I've walked out of the toilet cubicle with my skirt tucked in my knickers. Also went in the gents by accident in Paris many many years ago

Every time I go out I do or say something someone somewhere would say is embarrassing, but I don’t give a shit so meh 🤷‍♀️

If it makes you feel better, sometimes I'm in bed early, looking forward to a good night's sleep, and then my brain suggests a retrospective of all the times I embarrassed myself between the ages of 8 and 12.
I'm 46.

A few months after this I had someone else spot me from a distance and purposely put their head down to avoid making eye contact with me.

When we walked past we did a small side eye and I could tell she just didn't want to see me at all. I would have just said hello and gone about my business.

That made me feel really odd because months before I'd been asking that person about the area and she was nice, polite and giving replies.

And she'd had said hello to me 2 weeks before (and I'd replied how nice it was to see her)

I saw or thought I saw a friend from years ago, I ran towards them (may be not a good idea) as I got close they screamed at me, I just walked past. Still not sure if it was the person I thought it was, hugely embarrassing either way.

I embarrassed myself from 12 to 18 as well

Ha! I have to hold out my hands so I can see which thumb makes the 'L' for left. I'm also bumping into doorframes constantly. I don't think I meet the criteria for dyspraxia, but I have other ND diagnoses.

Funnily enough, I can also read Sophocles in the original. There were a fair few of us quirky individuals on my course! ☺️

I cant really call this embarrassing but ill add it anyway as whenever I think about it,I go hot,cold and red all at the same time

I'd just had baby dd and my brothers mate had got his girlfriend pregnant-a very much wanted baby

None of us had a lot of money as I offered dds old baby stuff for free

He gratefully accepted and I gathered up her stuff ready to be picked up,but didnt see him for a few weeks

When I did catch up with him,i barreled up to him and asked when his dad could come and pick up all the baby bits

To my Utter horror,he turned on me and started shouting about 'do you think your being clever?as your not and your a nasty bitch!' before storming off in tears

Bro turned to me and explained that the girlfriend had to have a late abortion as the baby had something badly wrong with her (something to do with her lungs-i didnt really take it in) and she wouldn't have survived her birth

Somehow,I was the only person not to have heard this dreadful news

He never spoke to me again and to be fair,I don't blame him

(Bro did explain that I genuinely didnt know but I dont think he believed him)

I still feel dreadful and embarrassed at the memory

I almost walked into a lady in a local shop and we had a little laugh and I apologised. She popped up around one of the shelves a bit later and nearly crashed into me so we had another little laugh.
About a minute later, I went to turn into an aisle and there she was again. I made some comment about “I promise I’m not stalking you” and we both laughed… except I got a bit over excited and did this really big, hysterically shrill laugh in a tone I’ve honestly never used before. I have no idea where it came from. I even sort of went “oh!” whilst laughing as I was so taken aback by what came out of my mouth.
I scuttled off, still half laughing, but mortified. That poor woman 😁

This is absolutely not for you to be embarrassed about. Be angry that they were so rude to you instead.

You didn't do anything embarrassing. They were very rude. And weird.

Like everyone else has said, they are the ones who should be embarrassed about their rudeness. I know it's awkward but it really doesn't reflect on you. I had a trio of mean girls from school blank me when I said hello at a mutual friend's 30th birthday party. I just shrugged and thought it was sad that they hadn't learned any manners in the intervening 14-odd years.

I wracked my brains for something embarrassing I've done recently, then remembered that I fell over in a busy park on a sunny day a couple of weeks ago. I was wheeling both DC's scooters along a narrow path near the ice cream van, moved over to let a buggy through and stood on DS's scooter. That leg shot out and I ended up sat on the path, tangled in scooters. No harm done, except to my pride.

I’ve done that twice. I glanced down and vaguely pondered that I’d need noticed those front pockets on my jeans before…
Until I realised they were actually the back pockets 😂

Thank you, that's kind of you to say, but I hurt her too deeply & I don't blame her for putting this wall up. It is sad as we were friends from starting our first jobs together (how we met), then living & travelling together...😥

I had managed to get a placement in college at 15 and able to leave school early (Scotland early 90s). I felt so great getting out into the world and meeting new people, got onto a childcare course and I was over the moon. First day there I had a long black pencil style skirt with the split up the middle, gorgeous bay trading blouse on and nee look platform patent knee high boots on...walking down the very, very big lunch hall feeling great, i slipped on a chip and fell flat on my arse!! 😳😬😳. What a riddy! Still think about that day. 🤣🤣🤣