Have you ever felt anxious or nervous about doing something because of how people might think about it?
Maybe it’s talking in front of others in a group, calling a utility company, or even confronting a waiter.
We’ve all been there.
We don’t want to speak up, because we think we will be judged.
What is Judgement?
Judgement is about forming an opinion about ourselves or others.
Our brains can be quick to judge because sometimes we think more or less of others depending what’s on the outside, or maybe we are intimidated, lonely or insecure.
Tiny Buddha says “The next time you notice yourself judging someone else, stop, take a step back, and describe the situation with no inflection of tone that casts a negative light“.
Instead of seeing someone and thinking “OMG, look at those huge glasses” try “that women is wearing large glasses”.
You can actually take the judgement out of it, notice it and find the good in the person.
Becoming aware, and noticing instead of judging, take’s time to master.
What about Judging Ourselves?
Have you ever done something that didn’t work out the way you expected?
Did you move on with your day or did you beat yourself up?
It’s so important to be mindful, watch our thoughts and be aware of the words we say about ourselves.
Do harsh words make us feel better?
Not at all, we feel anxious, sad or angry.
Instead of judging ourselves, we can find something about ourselves that we love that we can focus on and practice thinking about daily!
A helpful exercise is to make a list of all the things we love about ourselves.
Keep it handy and make it a habit to read it daily.
Next time something doesn’t go as expected, pull out your self-love list and read it over and over and focus on all the good things.
Do you judge yourself and others?