6 Tiny Ways To Finally Start Feeling Comfortable In Your Own Skin
Everyone has awkward moments.
When I was a kid, I was always the last one picked for the team or game. In part, this was because IÂ struggled with basic physical skills. Embarrassingly, when I finally hit a baseball in gym class, I followed it by throwing the bat and hitting my gym teacher in the face. Not my finest moment.
I never felt comfortable in my skin. I was awkward, and it showed up anytime I had to be physically active in front of other people. Over time, a series of memories grew so vivid whenever someone mentioned an activity resembling one of my faux pas that I would shrink in avoidance. The embarrassment was palpable, and it was hard.
If you’re like me, being the awkward kid can have a deep and scarring effect on your life. It can show up in a lot of ways.
- Maybe you were always the kid who got sidelined at dodgeball.
- Or you were insecure doing something in front of other people and your very presence made other people uncomfortable.
- Or you were the kid who tripped when you walked into a room.
- Or you always talked too loudly or mumbled so quietly people stopped asking you to participate.
- Or you said things so cringy the air felt like it was sucked out of the room when you spoke.
- And rather than moving our bodies with grace, we trip and fall and knock over someone’s lamp.
Unfortunately, social missteps from the past can often cause us to focus more on what makes us awkward instead of paying attention to our strengths and characteristics that make us good, endearing friends. Here’s the truth: everyone has awkward moments.