Decentering means gaining enough perspective on a thought or feeling to notice it as an experience you are having, rather than the whole of who you are or what is true.
You aren’t leaving yourself behind. You are giving one response less authority to impersonate all of you.
You feel ashamed. That isn’t the same as being shameful.
An awkward moment can quickly become a story about your entire character. Noticing the shift lets you return to a smaller, more useful question: what happened, and what does it require?
Perhaps an apology. Perhaps practice. Perhaps nothing beyond allowing an embarrassing memory to be embarrassing without turning it into a life sentence.
Perspective isn’t indifference. A feeling can matter while you remain able to see the situation around it.
Cognitive defusion introduces a related approach to thoughts. Self-compassion asks how you can stay close to the person having the difficult experience.
NCCIH’s Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety explains attention practices and the research around them. It provides context for observing an experience without confusing perspective with emotional disappearance.