The Fear of Being Judged
April 6, 2020•233 words
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Are you afraid of being judged by others? If so, why? What scares you about it?
Maybe you want to feel accepted everywhere and by everyone. Maybe you feel the need to always fit into the widely accepted social norms.
Judgments are opinions, not facts. When someone tells you that you're fat, they're just communicating their opinion, not a scientifically proven fact. Should they be doing that? Probably not. But still, when you start viewing judgments as opinions instead of facts, they become easier to appreciate.
Opinions are tricky. It's really important to have them, but at the same time not throw them into somebody else's face. There's a fine line between having opinions and being opinionated.
It's often very tempting to judge someone, especially when you feel more confident than the other person. It's so easy... Whenever I'm conversing with someone about a particular field I'm good in, I often feel the nudge to correct them. Tell them they're wrong. For the past year or so, I've been practicing resisting that nudge, knowing that whenever I'll start judging the other person, our relationship will be strained.
It's a hard journey for me, especially when I used to be very afraid of being judged and judging others on every occasion. It requires a lot of mental clarity and mindfulness, but it is possible. Even for the most severe cases of judgmentosis ;)