It’s completely natural to want the respect and admiration of others, but worrying too much about what others think about us can hurt our mental health.
Not only can it cripple your mind and confidence, but it can also turn you into a people pleaser who becomes dissatisfied with life. The best way to get over the fear of other people’s opinions is to see the bigger picture.
When you realise that life is too short to let what other people think about us stop us from achieving your dreams, you gain more perspective about life.
Here are 4 tips to free yourself from worrying about what other people think.
Accept That Other People Will Always Have Opinions
Expect people to talk. It’s natural for people to form impressions about others. However, we all can decide what affects us and what does not. This comes from believing in yourself and having confidence in your abilities. So prepare for people to have opinions about you – both negative and positive – but trust in yourself more.
Weigh Your Options
When people hold themselves back due to the fear of other people’s opinions, they fail to consider the big picture. It is important to realise that there are two kinds of pain. The one that comes from regret and the one that comes from failing due to taking action. While the latter helps you grow, the former stagnates you and keeps you in your comfort zone.
So weigh your options. Do you want to be stuck in your comfort zone all your life and regret it later because you think people will judge you? Or would you rather take the bold step of doing what has to be done irrespective of what people think, and learn from your mistakes? The choice is yours.
Stop Trying To Be Perfect
Understand that everyone makes mistakes. Even people who think poorly of you due to your shortcomings have their own weaknesses. When you judge yourself for the mistakes you’ve made, you only put an unnecessary burden on yourself. Mistakes can be a great tool for self-growth if you understand that you can learn from them.
Remember You Are Not A Mind Reader
Although it’s not unusual to have an idea of how someone feels towards you from the way they treat you, research shows that people still make many wrong assumptions about other people’s opinions of them.
People actually make assumptions about you that may never have crossed your mind. The studies show that the most emotionally stable people are the most clueless about what others think of them.
This shows that worrying about what others think is an unhelpful activity that only leads to stress.
Featured Image Source: Voices Of Youth
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