instead of getting really stressed and frustrated with myself, and beating myself up about it, i am more able to see the funny side of it. of course, there are times when i can't, cos it has more serious ramifications, but i actually love the childlike (i.e., innocent) nature of some of my gaffs, and think it's sweet. also, my naughty streak finds it funny.
I have realised some of this about myself and I find it interesting. If there is humour in something I do accidentally, I don't feel so bad about it.
My problem has usually been that I am my own harshest critic. That may be good for me in some ways, since it motivates me to try to do better next time, but it is easy to take it too far. I would never criticize someone else the way I do myself, so sometimes I try to think how I would react if a friend or my daughter had done the same thing I did. If a friend did it, I would probably just laugh about it and move on. If my daughter did it, I would probably calmly explain why it caused a problem and move on. So what would be the point of me being all upset with myself over it?
This is a good philosophy and it has helped me get through a fair lot of negative thoughts about myself.
