How to stop worrying about what others think of you

You can begin by identifying the fears behind your worry. Why do you care about others’ opinions of you? Are you afraid of not being liked? Just know that each person in your life will have a different opinion of you as they are seeing you as they are and not as who you truly are. They are seeing you through the lens of their education, experiences, insecurities, mindsets, etc… You won’t be liked by everyone and that is OKAY! Like yourself. When you like yourself you will care less about whether people like you.

In addition, you are not always the same person with everyone and in every social situation. Therefore, other people’s opinions of you will vary. Their opinion is none of your business. Your opinion of yourself is what matters. The way you see yourself and feel about yourself is what is important. Look at your qualities and strengths and focus on liking yourself.

How do you overcome the fears behind caring about others’ opinions of you?

Question your fears. Challenge your fears. Ask yourself ‘what is the worst that could happen?’ in the situation you are worried about. Some people might not like you? So what! As long as you are being your true self and doing what makes you genuinely happy let yourself be, let yourself live. You are worried about people judging you or saying negative things about you? Whether you do A or B there will be people who will judge and there will be people talking negatively about you. You have no control over that so just live your life and make the decisions that suit you and the future you are building for yourself. Most people are concerned about themselves anyway, while you are worrying about what they think of you. Keep in mind that people’s opinions of you are more a reflection of them than of you.

How do you stop caring about what people think of you? By just not caring about their thoughts of you and trusting yourself. Trust your intuition and follow the path that is aligned with your authentic self. When you trust yourself you don’t survey people about your interests, decisions, etc… Self-trust allows you to stop asking for permission to be or seeking validation. Think of what you would like to do and just do it. Taking action will get rid of the anxiety or the paralysis to just be or do. Take action despite the fear. Feel the fear but take action. Do this every time you find yourself worrying about what people will think of you. It will build confidence in yourself and in life.

Life is too beautiful when we allow ourselves to be who we truly are, to limit ourselves from being. When you worry about what others will think of you you might reject part or all of yourself to fit what they expect of you. And you will still have people who will think something negative about you. You might as well just be as you are and do what makes you happy. Self-rejection can lead to mental or physical illnesses so accept yourself fully and be.