Get Past Your Humiliation

March 8, 2006 — -- Thursday, March 9, is the first national "Get Over It" day, dedicated to helping those of us who have suffered past humiliations to move on and let it go.

Caroline Marcil became famous when she forgot the words to the U.S. national anthem (she's from Canada, so give her a break) at a hockey game. To make matters worse, she slipped and fell on the ice. Marcil came on "Good Morning America" two days later to talk about it and is now featured in Cosmopolitan magazine.

Marcil said that she had used the opportunity to mature.

"Now when I sing, if this comes back, I just think, 'Well, it happened,'" said Marcil, a nurse. "But it is less important than in the beginning. It was on every TV, but I am getting used to it and finding ways to get over it."

Cosmo editor-in-chief Kate White said she had some embarrassing moments of her own, like when her skirt fell down on the street because she hadn't fastened it properly.

Atlanta entrepreneur Jeff Goldblatt created the holiday and has organized "Get Over It" parties in about a dozen cities.

His Web site, www.getoveritday.com, has a message board where people can post what they are getting over. The Web site also lets people send a friend an e-mail encouraging him or her to get over something, a "Get Over It" e-card and a "Get Over It" message by cell phone. Goldblatt said he chose March 9 because it's halfway between Valentine's Day and April Fool's Day. He focuses on getting over bad relationships or marriages but said the "Get Over It" concept applied to anything.

White said the best thing to do after an embarrassing moment was to get control of the body.

"You will probably be blushing or sweating, and your heart [will be] beating fast," she said. "There is nothing you can do about the blushing, but you should take a deep breath because it will help you think more clearly."

After the physical effects have subsided, take ownership of the moment, White said.

"Say something funny the way Jennifer Garner did at the Oscars when she stumbled," she said. "That way you are relieving the tension and relieving people from their own struggle to deal with the situation. It shows you are in control. Even something as simple as 'Wow, that is an awkward moment,' or 'Can you believe it?' That works," she said.