It is important to be able to laugh at yourself, it just makes life more bearable! It is being able to take things with a pinch of salt and also allowing ourselves to be human.
I am a 15 year old female and have not always been able to laugh at myself. I know part of the problem was because I was laughed at so much as a child, I went to therapy and this has helped me be able to accept that I am human and most importantly I do not have to be perfect. I will tell you my story.
I grew up in a house as the youngest after 4 brothers and boy did they pick on me. Their favourite phrase –“look at her she’s made a fool of herself”. They would say this for whatever reason, if I dropped a glass at table, if I fell over, if I made any kind of mistake possible. I would feel so small and so stupid, I would not show my anger at them as they would just continue to tease me, I would just blush and shut up. I began to associate making mistakes with being a fool as their favourite phrase always told me. I obviously grew up fearing to make mistakes as making mistakes would bring humiliation to me. So what did I do? I just became a quiet little girl, never daring to open my mouth or give my opinion or be seen by others. I totally hated being the centre of attention as this would usually end up in shame. I tried to be as invisible as possible.
I feel really annoyed at the way I hid from sight. I know now that the best tool for me would have been if I were able to laugh at myself. It would have been great if I could have laughed with them when I made a mistake. I realize that it was so important for me to look perfect in my brother’s eyes so that they would admire me. I took myself too seriously, or rather I took them too seriously and I showed them that their teasing bothered me. I realize that I was not able to see what they did was only teasing, I took everything personally and got overly offended all the time.
Today when I make a mistake, (which I do very often as I am not perfect, I am only human), I laugh at what I have done and try to see the funny side of it. It really makes life easier for me. Instead of blushing and feeling really small, I just laugh and see the funny side of things. I can say “oops I made a mistake” and laugh about it. My ability to see the funny side of things and the funny side of myself has really helped me feel more relaxed.
Things to think about!
- Do I take myself very seriously?
- Do I worry a lot about what others think of me, my words, actions or behaviour?
- Do I blush when eyes are on me?
- Do I take things very personally and get offended easily?
- Am I able to see the funny side of things or do I get angry at myself when I am not perfect?
