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10 Signs You're Too Afraid Of What Other People Think

Lissa Rankin, M.D.
Author:
March 06, 2015
Lissa Rankin, M.D.
Physician and New York Times bestselling author
By Lissa Rankin, M.D.
Physician and New York Times bestselling author
Lissa Rankin, M.D., is the New York Times bestselling author of "Mind Over Medicine," "The Fear Cure," and "The Anatomy of a Calling." She is a physician, speaker, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, and mystic. Lissa has starred in two National Public Television specials and also leads workshops, both online and at retreat centers like Esalen and Kripalu.
March 06, 2015

As humans beings, we rely on each other to survive. In fact, in hunter-gatherer cultures, rejection by the tribe means certain death. So no wonder we care about what other people think!

But if you let this influence how you show up in the world, you'll limit your creative potential, alienate the people who can most uplift you, squander your opportunities for financial freedom, and fail to step bravely into your true purpose.

So, how do you know if you're too afraid of what others think? Here are some red alerts:

1.

You fail to speak your truth.

How often do you muzzle yourself because you're afraid that if you speak up, you'll put your job at risk, lose your lover, alienate a friend, or get disowned by your parents? How many times do you swallow your truth (and with it, your integrity, self-respect, and authenticity)?

I'm not suggesting you need to speak every thought you think. Some people are just plain rude under the guise of "speaking my truth." But every time you fail to express what is true for you, you activate a stress response that weakens your body's natural self-healing mechanisms and puts your body at risk. Plus, you violate your soul. And if you don't learn to honor the quiet rumblings of the soul, the Universe may smack you over the head until you start honoring your truth.

2.

You become a social chameleon.

You know those people who change their tune — and their appearance, and their favorite band, and their political party — every time they're in a new crowd? People with a solid sense of self are pretty much the same, even if they're around others who aren't like them.

If you find yourself morphing to fit your social surroundings, you're probably afraid others won't like you if you're different. And sometimes you're right. The price of authenticity is that you won't comfortably fit in everywhere. But it's worth the risk, because only when you're brave enough to be unapologetically YOU will you truly find your people.

3.

You lie.

If you think your truth isn't welcome, you'll have a tendency to stretch the truth, withhold the truth, or flat-out lie. This is particularly common among men who withhold the truth from women because they're afraid she'll melt down or reject him if he tells her the whole truth. If he dares to speak the truth about how he feels and what he thinks, often, she shames him. ("You think that other woman is hot? How dare you!" Sound familiar?)

Of course, women are guilty of lying and men are guilty of shaming her truth, too. But in male/female dynamics, men can be particularly guilty of lying and women tend to get hurt if men are truthful and then shame them if they're not. It's lose-lose. We're better off dealing with our fear and finding the courage to love and respect each other's truth, without shame.

4.

You apologize for everything you like.

Like, "Yeah I listen to 80's hair bands. I know, it's stupid." Red-faced and totally shamed by this one little tiny thing, you assume the other person is judging you, laughing at you, or making assumptions. Then you find yourself pretending to agree with them.

They say, "Oh, I love Lady Gaga."

And you say, "OMG, I love her too!" Even though you don't.

That's just fear in a Little Monster disguise. This is why people nod their heads in that scene with Julia Roberts in the movie Runaway Bride, where she doesn't know how she likes her eggs for breaksfast because she's been copying every man she dates. You forget that the ones who really love you just want YOU, not some copycat version of you.

5.

You avoid social situations.

I'm a proud introvert, so I get that we're not all inclined to be the life of the party. But introverts still crave community and will withdraw from even the most nourishing social environments if they feel afraid. And even the most extroverted among us will avoid social situations if they're too busy worrying what others will think.

In order to feel nurtured by our true soul communities, we have to overcome the fear of rejection that comes with worrying that others won't like us when we're being ourselves.

6.

You hide your quirks.

You're a Mets fan in the middle of San Francisco. You're at Fashion Week in Manhattan, but you're a sucker for hoodies and Ugg boots. If you're too afraid of what others will think, you'll feel pressured to follow the crowd, even if it means selling yourself out. Doing so activates stress responses that are harmful to your body. But it also keeps others from recognizing the unique quirks that connect us. You just never know when you'll run into another Mets fan, if you're brave enough to be all you, all the time.

7.

You're constantly wondering what the other person is thinking.

If you're so busy trying to read someone else's mind to make sure who you're being and what you're saying is landing right, you're not really present in this moment. And you're certainly not paying attention to the beautiful, unique soul who is giving you the gift of his or her presence.

When you deal with your fear of what everyone else is thinking, you're better able to practice what my friend Stella Osorojos calls "now-walking" — staying in present time, free from fear, navigating only what presents itself right here, right now.

8.

You slip into perfectionism.

Striving for excellence is a property of the soul, a yearning to fulfill our purpose impeccably. But perfectionism stems from fear — fear of rejection, fear of not being enough, fear of abandonment.

9.

You dim your light.

Think of all the times you've had great news to share. You want to shout it from the rooftops! But you don't. Because you're afraid it'll sound like bragging. Or you're worried someone else will judge you. Or you're concerned that you'll make someone else jealous. So you turn down the dial on your sparkle. But when you do, you rob us all of the gift of your light. And Lord knows, we can use a little more light in the world — the light of the real you.

10.

You wear masks.

You fragment your identity. You act one way when you're with the mothers. You act another way when you're with your business colleagues. There's yet another way you behave at church, or at the dance club, or at your yoga class. When you free yourself from the fear of what others think, you're brave enough to figure out the big question: WHO AM I?

Then your whole life becomes a love letter to that true self. After all, that's just the Divine manifesting through you as the pure essence of who you really are. Which is much too beautiful, precious, and unique to hide behind a mask.

Lissa Rankin, M.D.
Lissa Rankin, M.D.

Lissa Rankin, M.D., is the New York Times bestselling author of Mind Over Medicine, The Fear Cure, and The Anatomy of a Calling. She is a physician, speaker, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, and mystic. Passionate about what makes people optimally healthy and what predisposes them to illness, she is on a mission to merge science and spirituality in a way that not only facilitates the health of the individual, but also uplifts the health of the collective. Bridging between seemingly disparate worlds, Lissa is a connector, collaborator, curator, and amplifier, broadcasting not only her unique visionary ideas, but also those of cutting edge visionaries she discerns and trusts, especially in the field of her latest research into "Sacred Medicine." Lissa has starred in two National Public Television specials and also leads workshops, both online and at retreat centers like Esalen and Kripalu. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her daughter. She blogs at LissaRankin.com and posts regularly on Facebook.

Read More About Lissa Rankin, M.D.

More from the author:

A Six-Step Process For Radical Self-Healing

Check out Identify Limiting Beliefs That Are Holding You Back From True, Full Healing

Learn more

More from the author:

A Six-Step Process For Radical Self-Healing

Check out Identify Limiting Beliefs That Are Holding You Back From True, Full Healing

Learn more
Lissa Rankin, M.D.
Lissa Rankin, M.D.

Lissa Rankin, M.D., is the New York Times bestselling author of Mind Over Medicine, The Fear Cure, and The Anatomy of a Calling. She is a physician, speaker, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, and mystic. Passionate about what makes people optimally healthy and what predisposes them to illness, she is on a mission to merge science and spirituality in a way that not only facilitates the health of the individual, but also uplifts the health of the collective. Bridging between seemingly disparate worlds, Lissa is a connector, collaborator, curator, and amplifier, broadcasting not only her unique visionary ideas, but also those of cutting edge visionaries she discerns and trusts, especially in the field of her latest research into "Sacred Medicine." Lissa has starred in two National Public Television specials and also leads workshops, both online and at retreat centers like Esalen and Kripalu. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her daughter. She blogs at LissaRankin.com and posts regularly on Facebook.

Read More About Lissa Rankin, M.D.

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