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Whether it's accidentally crashing someone's wedding or mistaking a random car for a taxi, we've all made a complete fool out of ourselves at some point in our lives. And that's why you should stop beating yourself about yours. Even if that moment was so awkward, you wanted the Earth to swallow you. The witnesses of your stupid actions probably forgot all about them since they're too busy obsessing about their own past mistakes.

When Twitter user Andy Ryan posted his most embarrassing story, people immediately started responding to it with their own cringeworthy memories. And I mean responding. Andy's tweet has already received over 80K comments and 559K likes, and the numbers keep growing!

Image credits: itsandyryan

#1

Embarrassing-People-Stories-Andy-Ryan

JohnnyKeats1 Report

One study says there's a (somewhat) quick way to move past life's most terrible moments. The answer: focusing on everything about the memory except the way it made you feel. "Sometimes we dwell on how sad, embarrassed, or hurt we felt during an event, and that makes us feel worse and worse. This is what happens in clinical depression—ruminating on the negative aspects of a memory," lead researcher Florin Dolcos wrote.

#2

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janeymaine Report

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Debster
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cringy but sweet. I would have left her money or a thank you card or gift.

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But we found that instead of thinking about your emotions during a negative memory, looking away from the worst emotions and thinking about the context, like a friend who was there, what the weather was like, or anything else non-emotional that was part of the memory, will rather effortlessly take your mind away from the unwanted emotions associated with that memory. Once you immerse yourself in other details, your mind will wander to something else entirely, and you won’t be focused on the negative emotions as much." In other terms, you take control of the memory. You shape the way it floats through your thoughts. You diminish it.

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It's quite different than suppressing the bad memory, which is usually effective only in short term and increases chances of anxiety and depression in the long run. For a lot of people it might also be simpler than other emotion regulation strategies, such as trying to recast the negative situation into a positive one.

"Looking at the situation differently to see the glass half full can be cognitively demanding," Sanda Dolcos, a co-author on the study said. "The strategy of focusing on non-emotional contextual details of a memory, on the other hand, is as simple as shifting the focus in the mental movie of your memories and then letting your mind wander."

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#7

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LouiseAtLaw Report

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Mark
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just goes to prove that pretty much any grandma is a nice person to talk to even if you aren't related.

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#8

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MvanoManyi Report

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Hans
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg! But seriously: if you change a full diaper and continue eating (be it merely licking something off the arm), you have some issues!

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#10

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sophiearumble Report

#11

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Sinead_Hen Report

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Debster
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hmmm did they think you were car jacking them like the story above?

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#15

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UnkieGrumpy Report

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glowworm2
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never ever ask that question, even in jest. Chances are that someone actually died.

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#17

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Clive_Stringer Report

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Demi Zwaan
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Person of restricted growth"? Why would you call them that? They're just short people or dwarves.

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#20

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PCoryGonzales Report

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frederic eeckman
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm sorry but sometimes I'm really wondering what's happening with people. Of course it can happen, and I'm not judging that, but you stayed a while, you ate, and you were leaving ? And you did not a single time talk about the camp your child was supposed to go to ?

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#26

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kae_mah Report

#27

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wind_is_real Report

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Max L.
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, at least it wasn't the nineties in french... know how they say 90 ? "four times twenty ten". ("quatre-vingt dix", pronounced "Quatr'e'vent dis") but not in french switzerland where they invented a new word from scratch.

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#28

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GoldCell2007 Report

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Bored Moogle
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You didn't notice all the other kids were smaller than you? You must have been wondering why there are so many little kids in 5th & 6th grades.

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#31

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MadeintheBridge Report

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Noez 🇸🇪
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dead from laughing so hard at this 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

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#33

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CamiloBAcosta Report

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Mark
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So is the object of the task to eat an olive and then see if you can "spit the pit" back onto the tray?

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#39

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SallyCwrites Report

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Iggy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once had someone mistake me for a sales assistant in a shop. I was wearing an overcoat, hat, and scarf and I was carrying a handbag. He was mortified when he realized.

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#42

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alwaysmagra Report

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#44

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BaldyMemike Report

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Bored Fox
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I only realized couple of years ago that one of my relatives was an Xmas tree thief. He never bought Xmas trees and he always explained that it is just easier to go to some forest and cut your own tree. When I was a child I was once with him choosing the best tree. I asked why we went to that forest in the evening when it was dark because in the daylight it would have been much easier to see which tree looks the best. But he just replied that in the day time there was too many other people choosing their Xmas trees so he liked to go in the evening.

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#45

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mlewerns Report

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Isabella kratosisy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really hate this. My mom used to do it, it is always s****y to do this.

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#50

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Ditsy_B Report

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#51

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JWTroemner Report

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Nikki D
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This would be me, I am absolutely terrible at understanding accents.

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#52

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Allie_Enigma Report

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#56

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EMTS_ Report

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Dilly Millandry
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why? It's just a stump, you didn't steady yourself by putting your hands on his genitals.

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#57

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chunchunair Report

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#58

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FlamingBobby Report

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JillVille
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We sliced a block of butter up into thin slices to help it soften quicker. Laid them out on the plate like cheese and 3 of my kids came in at different times to steal a slice of cheese. I let them and watched with glee as they ate them and then looked weirdly back at the plate as they walked away. Not one of them figured it out till we sat down for dinner shortly after.

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#59

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muckyboatlady Report

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JillVille
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My daughter was running circles around me when she was about 4. Her pigtails were flying as she ran as fast as she could. I reached out to grab one as she flew past to realize it wasn't her - she and another girl with pigtails were both running around me and I'd grabbed another kid's hair! No wonder she was so fast. (insert face-palm here)

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#60

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missannabiller Report

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Kiss Army
Community Member
Premium
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone left a phone message on my sister's desk to call Myra Maines. When she returned the the call she asked for Myra Maines three times before the guy who answered said "You just don't get it, do you lady? This is a funeral home - Myra Maines - MY REMAINS!!" She was so embarrassed and vowed to get even with whoever put the message on her desk.

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#62

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DemonTomatoDave Report

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#64

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#66

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#67

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#68

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Alex K
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

what? you don't show off your winspan at charities over there?

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#70

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grow_sew_cook Report

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JillVille
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband has the house decorated like a pub, with flags and such outside too. I'm waiting for the day a random person walks in on game day when crowds of friends are over. Fun part is, we actually made a friend this way - he tagged along with a group of his friends (or so he thought) and walked into our place, was offered free beer and burgers. He's been by a few times now alone and it took us all awhile to figure out who he was. He's a friend of a friend of a friend, so not a complete stranger, lol He's actually a great guy!

#72

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MrsCAWebster Report

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Stimpy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

... And being somewhere or doing something he was not supposed to, I guess...

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#73

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Holliehoover001 Report

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Hard 2 Guess
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like at some point in our childhood we all have done this at least once.

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#74

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HannahHE579 Report

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#75

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pacman_225 Report

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Anni
Community Member
5 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After pondering about it for many years I finally piped up on a car trip and asked why Weighbridge was always closed, and how did that affect the people who lived there? I thought it was a suburb but it turns out it is a weighing station for trucks. I was late twenties then and my family still rib me every time we go past a weighbridge.

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#76

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evermaixxxx Report

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