By Katelynn Luu
I love playing Genshin Impact.
Nobody knows this about me, though — it’s so embarrassing! But I love the game. The beautiful graphics and engaging storyline are how I destress after a long week of never-ending homework and club events. It’s a topic that I’m passionate about: how beneficial video games can be to mental health when played in moderation.
I’ve always wanted to write an article about it or speak up in protest when a teacher talks about how terrible video games are for you. But I never have — I’ve always been too embarrassed to even admit that I play a video game at all!
What games do you play, Katelynn?
Um, Adobe Creative Cloud? (And Genshin Impact, but I’d lose so much aura if I said that!)
The thing is, a lot of people play Genshin Impact, so, why am I embarrassed about it? Why am I letting that embarrassment stop me from being honest with those around me and speaking up about a passion of mine?
Emotions should serve a purpose. Anger lets you know when you’ve encountered an injustice; happiness lets you know when something is good for you; sadness lets you know when you are missing something important to you; fear and anxiety let you know when you need to protect yourself.
Although not all emotions are pleasant to experience such as anger, fear or sadness, their purpose in life is important and can be beneficial. But perhaps the least pleasant and least beneficial of all emotions is embarrassment.
You’re in the stands in the student section of a football game. Everyone in the front rows is participating in the cheers, and you would love to join in, except for the fact that you’re in the back, and nobody in your row is cheering.
I can’t cheer now, you might think. That’s so embarrassing! The student section is so lame.
Is the student section really that lame, or are you letting your embarrassment stop you from having fun?
Or, maybe you’ve always wanted to join the dance team or sing karaoke, but you’ve never been confident enough in your skills, and you’re too afraid to try because it’s embarrassing to be bad.
Never mind that all professional dancers and singers were once beginners who had to learn and hone their skills — just imagine if Taylor Swift never released a song because she was too embarrassed!
But, what if I’m bad? What if everyone laughs at me, you might worry.
That emotion you’re feeling is fear; you’re afraid of being humiliated by people. But what if you just chose not to be embarrassed by others?
So what if you sang that song badly at your friend’s karaoke party — laugh it off with them!
If you trip on a shoelace and faceplant on the ground, don’t add to your suffering and feel embarrassed. If you hear giggles from people around you, laugh with them! Don’t take yourself so seriously — everyone stumbles now and then, and there’s no need to be afraid of people laughing at you if you’re laughing with them.
Sure, a little bit of embarrassment can be healthy. That fear of being judged by others is how the social norm is maintained; embarrassment is the emotion that stops people from screaming randomly in movie theaters or telling waiters to enjoy their nonexistent food.
Unless your passion is sticking gum under desks (ew, gross!), your passion probably isn’t something harmful and worthy of judgment by others. Even if it was, why do you care about the opinion of others who don’t care about what you care about?
Start that club, try out for that team, compliment that stranger — don’t let your embarrassment stop you.
