The same dream has been haunting my nights since I was in grade school: I go to school without a care in the world only to realize I forgot an essential part of my wardrobe — the pants. I struggle to pull my shirt down in an effort to hide my lower half, as my classmates carry on oblivious.

Sound familiar? In his book “The Interpretation of Dreams,” Sigmund Freud says that this commonly occurring dream is a result of a painful feeling of shame and our inability to hide it. So why are we so concerned with how others perceive us and our inadequacies or mistakes?

Take my experience in front of the library the other day, for example. While hurriedly rounding the corner, I slipped in a puddle while dodging a fellow student. I juggled my phone, books and backpack as my knees landed squarely on the hard, cold pavement. Although I managed not to fall flat on my face, roughly 50 fellow students witnessed my tumble.

I immediately stood up and sprinted away from the scene of the crime. I was embarrassed. No, wait — I was mortified. As I entered class with soaking wet pants, I tried to laugh off my fall by kidding with classmates. “I totally ate it in front of everyone,” I joked.

Having a sense of humor about it made me feel a little better. Looking back, I question why I cared what others thought of me. It’s human nature to want acceptance, but do we have unrealistic expectations of ourselves?

In grade school, embarrassment was being the last one picked for a game of dodge ball. In junior high school, embarrassment manifested itself on picture day when you awoke with the world’s biggest zit. By high school, embarrassment stemmed from your mom giving you — gasp! — a hug. But shouldn’t college be different?

Aren’t we all mature adults, beyond worrying about how others view us? I guess not always, but we have come a long way since our dodge ball days. Let’s face it: Judgment at any age isn’t easy. Mistakes happen, and unfortunately, they tend to happen with an audience. Embarrassment will more than likely grace — or disgrace — our presence on many more occasions. It’s how you deal with it that matters most.

Upon your next embarrassing moment, remember that we’ve all been there, done that. Nobody is perfect, and contrary to what you may think, no one expects perfection. The ability to laugh at yourself despite yourself eases the impact of our mistakes. We may not be able to control embarrassing dreams at night, but how we react to them during the day is in our control.