It’s happening again. That knot in your throat, profuse sweating, butterflies in the stomach, and the ever-growing feeling to run away and not look back symbolizes the extreme feelings your body is experiencing. Something’s got you feeling so uncomfortable and there’s nothing you can do to change it. Everyone has felt uncomfortable throughout their lifetimes. Though those awkward moments and your body’s natural reaction may be throwing you for a loop, you can control how you feel and act when these circumstances arise.
In this day and age, it’s important to especially educate the children to recognize the signs of discomfort, and as an adult, make sure you watch out for those signs. I work with children, and over the years, I have learned to read simple signs. But how can we explain it to them?
Signs You’re REALLY Uncomfortable
When you’re uncomfortable or embarrassed, your body will send you signs. Some of which can make matters even more embarrassing. Here are some body language signs to pay attention to:
Biting or licking your lips – when you’re nervous you can become dehydrated which leads to dry lips and an increased need to lick or bite them to add moisture. To rectify the problem, you should drink water prior to having a conversation you feel may be uncomfortable. Also, try to keep a drink with you just in case.
Sweating profusely – your body’s natural response to stress is sweating to try and cool you down. If your sweating gets out of hand to the point you’re dealing with Pit Stains or soaked clothes, you need to do something. You can switch to antiperspirant as opposed to deodorant which doesn’t have the same protection.
Biting your nails – nail biting is a common reaction to nervousness. To stop the nail-biting you can polish your nails (the taste of polish is enough to deter you). You should also keep your hands away from your face and mouth by sitting on them or occupying your hands with something else like a drink or eating utensil.
Crossing your arms – this is a surefire sign that you’re uncomfortable and quite possibly not in agreement with what is being communicated to you. Crossing your arms can also make others feel uncomfortable. To resolve this you need to find something to do with your hands. Learn to talk with hand gestures or hold onto something to prevent the need to cross your arms.
Labored breathing – do your breathing patterns change when you’re in an uncomfortable situation. This could also mean you’re extremely stressed out by the ordeal. Your body is literally about to go into flight or fight status. It’s probably best that you step away if you can and take calm, deep breaths until you don’t feel threatened or uncomfortable anymore.
Limited or no eye contact – When you’re nervous or uncomfortable, you don’t want to make eye contact with anyone. The idea is to sort of “disappear” and looking others in the eye makes that harder to do. To resolve this matter, you simply have to remind yourself to maintain eye contact on occasion. (If it’s a child you see doing this, you have to give that child a lot of space and assurance).
Identifying What Makes Someone Uncomfortable
There are a lot of things that can make one feel uncomfortable. Some of them would make anyone feel out of place while others may be deep-rooted issues from their past. Some obvious and less obvious reasons they might be experiencing this feeling are:
Low self-esteem – if you don’t feel positive about yourself every situation can be uncomfortable. You may be afraid to be in large crowds, uncomfortable having to speak to an audience, and even uncomfortable about wearing something daring.
Pain – if you’ve hurt yourself in any way this could cause discomfort. taking care of your body by taking vitamins and nutrients can help.
Social settings – Not everyone likes to be the life of the party, there are social scenes like clubs and bars that can make you feel uneasy.
Confrontation – when you disagree with someone and have to confront them it can make you nervous. You fear what they may say or do out of retaliation.
Sensitive subjects – ever have to talk to your kids about sex or drugs? They’re not the only ones cringing at the topic.
Being uncomfortable is a normal feeling. Be that as it may, if you feel so uncomfortable that it’s impacting your ability to go anywhere or do things you enjoy, you should do something about it. Most important, understand that it’s ok to feel these things, and start working towards overcoming them. You can start by trying to calm your body down and then work on efficient ways to handle scenarios or people that trigger your anxiety. It can take time depending on how deep it is, but in the end, it’s worth it.
This is a very different post than what I normally write about, but just felt like sharing. Have you ever felt something like this? What did you do? Please share below in comments.