I stumbled across a research article worth sharing with all of you. This article discusses the importance of feeling awkward. Yes, you read that right. The importance!

To sum it up…the responses that awkward situations often provoke (anxiety, hesitation, disjointedness, avoidance), are known to encourage people to focus on social relationships in order to reestablish a sense of social harmony.

So, why is it important to feel awkward? Here is your answer…to remind us of our humanity.

Personally, I love the awkward parts of life. They are sometimes uncomfortable, embarrassing, funny, and needed.

Think about it…

The piece of spinach plastered across your two front teeth.

The trip that you hope no one saw (but know that they did).

The snort that escapes from your nose…or is it your mouth?

The Freudian slip…I really meant to say I like you, not I love you!

The revelation that probably should have stayed sealed in your mind.

Awkwardness really is a reminder that we, just like every other person on this planet, are human. Imperfect and flawed. Capable of tripping over our own feet or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

So, when I forget that the chair that I sit in during my therapy sessions has the tendency to let out an awkward whoosh/squeak of air when I sit down in it too fast, I laugh out loud and hope that whoever is in the room with me has a good sense of humor.

Here’s to the awkward!