I've got this quirk. Sometimes when I recall an instance when I've done something dumb, embarrassing or regretful, I will cringe. More likely, I'll make a little noise, may it be a sigh, maybe a condescending hum. Sometimes it's noises that sound like the worst beatboxing ever. And then, immediately after making one of these sounds, I'll regret having made a sound - so I'm inadvertently regretting regretting.
The strange thing is that it's not from dwelling on these events. It happens when I see something that even slightly reminds me of a particularly awkward memory. I'd dub it mini-Tourettes, but given the quiet nature of these sounds, it's nowhere near as intrusive as I'd imagine Tourettes to be.
Perhaps my subconscious is just trying to look out for me. Perhaps it's just saying "Don't be dumb" in the most passive aggressive way it possibly could. Look! A 7/11 it might say. Doesn't 7/11 remind you of seventh grade? Remember that one time when...
A good way to curb that icky feeling after embarrassing yourself or engaging in an awkward situation: ask yourself, "Would I have rather shit myself?" In most cases (accidentally identifying a stranger as someone you know, Freudian slips, cursing in the vicinity of certain authority figures), the answer is no.
However, in some cases, (being responsible for an accident which claims the lives of hundreds, accidentally shitting yourself, accidentally shitting on someone else) this strategy will not work.