Let’s look at what we can learn from inkblots!
If you find yourself constantly preoccupied with what other people think of you, if people are judging you, worried if people are upset with you - etc - let’s think about inkblots to offer an alternate perspective.
Let’s think of that psychological test where therapists take a piece of paper with an inkblot on it - and they ask the patient, “What do you see?”
And looking at the same inkblot - one person may see a bird - another person might see a skeleton - another person may see a beautiful sunset, etc.
There are infinite ways that one single inkblot can be perceived.
So when patient 1 says they see a bird - what do we learn about the inkblot itself?
Nothing.
When patient 2 says they see a skeleton - what does that tell us about the inkblot?
Nothing.
When patient 3 says they see a beautiful sunset that they describe in great detail - what do we then know about the inkblot?
Nothing.
The perception of the inkblot doesn’t tell us anything about the inkblot itself - it just gives us insight about the person who perceived it as such.
Applying this to the Fear of Being Judged
When someone is upset with you or is judging you in some way - our minds typically will say - oh no - what does that mean about me? Am I selfish? Am I a bad person? Am I (insert negative adjective here)?
So now - when you ask yourself: what does their view of me tell me about myself?
The answer - of course - is: Nothing.
Other people’s perceptions of you tells you nothing about yourself.
What other people think of you has nothing to do with you.
While it may give you some information about how to interact with that person moving forward - it does not give you any information about yourself - your essence - your being.
So let’s stop being so worried about other people’s perceptions and judgments, and just start focusing on creating that sense of inner peace, because that’s a much better use of our energy. :)
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