Tired of feeling embarassed when you laugh too loud or when someone catches you crying in front of "Gossip Girl"? Then this take is for you.
1. Our laugh
We rarely choose how our emotions are expressed and sometimes our laugh can be a little particular. Loud, ridiculous, strident, with pig or sea lion noises... it's like the lottery! You never know which sound is going to come out of your mouth. We all know someone who drew our attention with his/her laugh. Either because it was so particular that it became contagious, or because it annoyed us. But one thing is certain, regardless of the tone or the face you make when its triggered: you should never be ashamed of your laugh to the point of trying to hide it or change it.
Laughter is one of the most positive expressions, that only occurs in positive moments and that is intertwined with many of our best memories. Why deprive ourselves of such emotion? Even if your laugh can irritate some people, no one will hate you for it!
2. Periods
It's getting easier and easier to talk about periods - and this is a very good thing. Not wanting to broach the subject at lunch or to send pictures of your tampons to your friends is one thing, and it's understandable, but you don't have to make it a state secret. By dint of relegating periods to the status of embarassing thing, they became mystified and they were given more meaning and importance than they really have.
If you see a look of disgust when you mention your periods (or periods in general), take the opportunity to inform the other person, explaining how his/her behavior may be harmful for those who witness it. So that little girls don't grow up thinking that they must hide everything concerning their periods for fear of being ridiculed, insulted or rejected. Menstruating is perfectly normal, natural, and is a sign of a healthy body - there is absolutely no shame in that. So don't blush when you go to the supermarket to buy tampons or pads.
3. Our tears
Although they are typically caused by different events than laughter, there is nothing embarassing about tears either. We tend to associate the act of crying as a form of weakness (especially for men), but in reality, it's equally natural as laughing. There are topics that affects us, events that move us more than others - and it happens that we start crying outside the private sphere.
When a manager puts us in our place, for example, it's possible that we start crying. And here comes the drama: "I cried at work, this is ridiculous, no one is going to take me seriously anymore." When in reality there's nothing dramatic about it, and if we relaxed about emotions, as long as they remain reasonable (if you start yelling and swearing, yes, it can be a problem) it would be much better.
4. Our taste
Here's another revolutionary idea: what if we stop talking about guilty pleasures? There is nothing to feel guilty about having fun, especially if we talk about cultural tastes, for example. We spend too much time hiding or justifying certain tastes, belittling everything that makes us happy, because it doesn't stick to our entourage's taste.
But if something makes you happy, gives you pleasure, helps you in difficult times, why are you embarassed about it? There's nothing more natural. And liking something doesn't stop you from liking other things , even if they're completely opposite - that's the beauty of the world, there are unlimited choices available to you, so why limit yourself to one?
So next time, if you have the urge to laugh about your colleague's passion for One Direction, take time to think about the impact of your words, about the importance you put on things that don't have any, and about your own 'guilty pleasures'.
5. Our lifestyle
Again, with all the lifestyle trends that never cease to be appear and disappear, difficult to get your bearings. Now, for example, if you're vegan and gluten-free, if you exercise or drink cocktails in jars on rooftops, it means that you fit in the trend.
However, if your thing is to stay in pajamas at home watching Netflix with a bowl of mac & cheese, there's a chance to get lectured about the fact that it's not healthy, that you're probably very unhappy deep inside, and that you can't be happy sitting on a sofa.
If you go out too much, it's not good, if you stay at home it's not good either, and if you go out again from time to time, someone will find a problem anyway. It's the same thing for your diet, your clothes, your relationships, the way you raise your cat and your makeup remover brand.
So if you found a lifestyle that suits you, and makes you happy, embrace it shamelessly! Claim it if necessary, be proud of it and congratulate yourself for finding a balance that many of us are still looking for.
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