Caring less what people think

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

How this was put together

If you only read a few

  1. Read or listen to the book 'The Courage To Be Disliked'.

    It helped the author a lot.

    13 people, independently

  2. Build self-worth and affection for yourself, possibly through therapy, to boost confidence and reduce the impact of others' views.

    As you feel more at ease and content with who you are, what others think becomes far less significant.

    5 people, independently

  3. Start small by slowly expanding beyond your comfort zone.

    It tends to become easier with time.

    5 people, independently

  4. Recall that people are not scrutinizing you closely because they are preoccupied with their own lives.

    Most people spend the majority of their time focused on themselves, leaving little capacity to monitor others constantly.

    15 people, independently

    • Enjoy your own life without fear of judgment, as most people are focused on themselves.3
    • Realize how rarely others focus on you to ease worry about their opinions.15
  5. Ignore criticism from people whose guidance you would never follow.

    If you reject their advice, their critiques hold no weight for you either.

    5 people, independently

  1. Leave your comfort zone by joining groups or local programs and experimenting with new activities.

    It may help more than expected and could spark motivation.

    4 people, independently

  2. Treat yourself with kindness and affection.

    This is the initial step.

    3 people, independently

  3. Embrace your flaws and decide that they do not make you any less valuable.

    14 people, independently

  4. Read 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' to help care less about other people's opinions.

    The book was helpful in the process of caring about other people's opinions less.

    9 people, independently

11 more on this
  1. Realize that most people are unaware of your existence. Even if they form a quick judgment, it usually vanishes from their mind in just a few minutes.

    3 people, independently

  2. Reduce self-judgment, even slightly, to allow feelings of worthiness to naturally increase.

    Judging yourself less allows feelings of worthiness to naturally begin to flourish.

    3 people, independently

  3. Compare your current progress to your performance from the previous day, rather than measuring up against other people.

    107 people, independently

  4. Understand that strangers' views are irrelevant since they lack knowledge of you and have no authority to judge.

    3 people, independently

  5. Demonstrate your traits through actions rather than trying to convince people verbally.

    3 people, independently

  6. Step away from harmful influences and reconnect with your authentic self.

    3 people, independently

  7. Try using affirmations to change negative thoughts into positive ones.

    10 people, independently

  8. Use meditation to manage excessive thinking and repetitive mental loops.

    9 people, independently

  9. Pinpoint personal values or objectives that outweigh the need for external validation.

    5 people, independently

  10. Opt for a more positive interpretation of others' minds instead of presuming they are criticizing or disregarding you.

    3 people, independently

  11. Pause before reacting to prevent hasty judgments or impulsive replies.

    3 people, independently

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