D'oh! I can't believe I did that! Graceful ways to handle awkward moments

D'oh! I can't believe I did that! Graceful ways to handle awkward moments July 18, 20265:00 AM ET Malaka Gharib marabird/Getty Images On my first day of a new job about 15 years ago, I walked right into the glass door of a conference room in front of all my new colleagues. Did I play it cool? No. I did the most awkward thing imaginable. I yelled, "OUCH!" — interrupting a presentation and causing everyone to rush over and fuss over me. I wanted to hide under the table until the meeting was over. Life Kit COMIC: Still cringing about that awkward moment? Here's what to do about it Whenever I experience something embarrassing, I somehow make the situation worse. Being quick on my feet has never been my strong suit. There are, however, a few go-to tactics you can deploy to handle cringe-inducing moments with ease and grace, say experts. As I've learned from this story, I should have just quickly assured everyone I was OK, apologized for disrupting and sat down without giving it another thought. Uncomfortable things are bound to happen in life, and that's OK. The key is to know how to manage them. Sponsor Message "The goal is not to eliminate awkwardness from your life," said Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist, in a Life Kit episode about social anxiety. "The goal is to navigate awkwardness, because every connection you want — the friends you want to make, the work opportunities you want to gain — are all on the other side." Here are five real-life awkward situations you might find yourself in, and how to respond in the moment. The situation: You've been talking with spinach in your teeth The fix: Acknowledge it and move on Reported by Andee Tagle  If you run face-first into an embarrassing situation, just face the thing head-on. Put it all right out on the table. You might say, "Oh, wow, I am so sorry you've had to look at that spinach between my teeth. That was awkward," says Ty Tashiro, a psychologist and a social scientist. "It shows the other person that you understa...