You know how people often fixate on the things that they should ignore? How you’ll obsess about what you’re wearing and what people think about it. This happens in every aspect of life, and it is almost impossible to be rid of this habit.
However, Hanan Salman is here to say enough is enough! It would help if you stopped caring what other people think. The massively-followed Instagram notes that “whatever you do, people will always have an opinion, and you can’t help it, but you can choose how you react to it.”
The result of this terrible habit is millions of people feeling inadequate and retreating to their shells. Therefore, welcome to Hanan Salman’s guide on the art of not living in other people’s heads.
To start, Hanan wants you to be kinder to yourself. In her experience, people don’t think half the negative things you tell yourself. It all starts with you, and soon as you begin being kinder, less judgmental, and a bit more understanding of yourself, you’ll slowly begin to realize that other people’s opinions of you and what you don’t matter. It is what you think of yourself that counts.
Secondly, Hanan drops the fact that it is none of your business. “This is hard to accept, but you need to internalize this. You can’t control what people think, and their thoughts have nothing to do with you and everything to do with them,” she adds. You should set all expectations for your life, and Hanan especially emphasizes this.
“Another way to stop caring what other people think is to think of the worst-case scenarios. Oftentimes, you’ll find that something that has eaten at you for hours or even years is not as bad as you made it out in your mind,” states Hanan. Find out what intimidates you and work to overcome that; the worst that could happen might be a single glance from someone you might never see again.
On social media, especially, it is very easy to shy from confidently presenting your ideas for fear of judgment. However, you’ll never know the extent of your genius until you let people see it. Take charge of your life and remember that you don’t get a do-over.
“It would help if you never judged yourself too harshly, no one is perfect, and those judging you for your mistakes often project their fears. Everyone makes mistakes; learn from yours,” states Hanan.
To conclude, Hanan recommends that you redirect the energy you spend worrying about what people think to something productive. Develop a hobby, work on your life goals, and keep moving!
