Do you worry about how other people perceive you? Do you consider yourself an excellent mind reader who knows what others think about you? Maybe you've thought, "He's disgusted by my weight" or "She can tell I feel bad about being short." The truth is no one can read others' minds, and it's probably that when you try, you guess wrong. So let's take a moment to meditate on quieting the mind reader.
1. Think back to the last time you made up a story that someone was judging you negatively. Did you draw your conclusions from facial expressions, body language, or tone of voice?
2. Ask yourself if it's possible that you misinterpreted a dismissive tone or gesture, not realizing that the person may have been feeling equally insecure, self-conscious, or intimidated.
3. Consider how you came to have this special mind-reading power, and ask yourself if it serves you anymore. Imagine erasing your inner mind reader and surrendering to the reality that you may never know what another is thinking.
Excerpt from FIVE GOOD MINUTES® IN YOUR BODY: 100 Mindful Practices to Help You Accept Yourself & Feel at Home in Your Body
JEFFREY BRANTLEY, MD, is a consulting associate in the Duke Department of Psychiatry and the founder and director of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke University’s Center for Integrative Medicine. He is author of Calming Your Anxious Mind and coauthor of Five Good Minutes, Five Good Minutes in the Evening, Five Good Minutes at Work, and The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook. Jeffrey Brantley is founder and director of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke University’s Center for Integrative Medicine.
WENDY MILLSTINE, NC, is a freelance writer and certified holistic nutrition consultant who specializes in diet and stress reduction. She is coauthor of Five Good Minutes, Five Good Minutes in the Evening, and Five Good Minutes at Work.