Learn effective strategies and tips on how to get over the fear of being judged and start living authentically and confidently.Fear of being judged or criticized is a dependence on the opinions of others that prevents you from achieving your personal goals. This fear is present in each person to varying degrees, but when it fills the entire structure of self-esteem, it causes deep conflict. Criticism of any kind can cause pain even when it is unfounded.
Among the many challenges that the job market offers, the fear of being judged for your mistakes and attempts at innovation is one of the greatest. We are taught that our failures are reasons to be ashamed, when in reality professional growth is closely linked to the process of trial and error.
If you want to grow in your career, you can’t be afraid of making mistakes or worrying about how other professionals will judge you. An innovative professional, before achieving success, will always go through experiences of failure, or where the results achieved fell short of expectations.
But we know that this is a very hard lesson to learn, and every preparation to make this moment in our career less discouraging must be done. And there are actions you can take to structure a good plan.
How to Get Over the Fear of Being Judged.
Don’t think negatively.
It is natural that, when faced with an uncomfortable situation, our first thought is about what could go wrong, about the activities we don’t know how to do, and about all the insecurities that cross our minds. In short, only negative thoughts will hinder us on our path.
This type of behavior must be avoided at all costs. In addition to increasing anxiety, which will only make you more afraid and unable to react, negative thinking will make you a more insecure professional, encouraging you to engage in self-sabotaging behavior .
In moments when you feel that negative thoughts are invading your mind, try to distract your mind from them, replacing them with positive thoughts, remembering the good and positive things that you have already achieved.
With a strengthened mind, you will be able to develop the motivation necessary to face the challenges presented by the job market.
2 – Remember that people forget.
Regardless of the result you achieve, remember that people tend to comment for a short period of time. So, whether it is something that you will be congratulated for or criticized for, it will happen and be replaced by another “speech” in a short space of time.
So why be afraid of mistakes if they will be forgotten if they happen? Having this mindset will give you the strength to try out innovative ideas at all times, knowing that you will always be “remembered” for your most recent achievement, without being haunted by any mistakes from the past.
When performing a task for the first time, or proposing a new idea, reflect that the worst that can happen is that you make a mistake and, if that happens, it will soon be forgotten.
3 – Don’t be a procrastinator.
If you procrastinate, you start to lose focus on your work and any risky action you think of will seem extremely dangerous. Therefore, the fear of being judged will be much greater and you will become discouraged.
Avoid procrastination at all costs, as it is a vice that greatly limits your professional development. Always stay motivated to perform your tasks in the best possible way and, thus, cultivate in yourself the ability to take action to face challenges.
We know that big challenges can cause anxiety and insecurity in any professional, but you can’t let your performance be affected by this. Overcoming the fear of being judged involves acquiring the ability to have self-confidence and determination.
4 – Do what makes you happy.
Working while being satisfied with the position we occupy is essential to achieving high performance. When we work with what makes us happy, the motivation to work and achieve our results is always greater, and the fear of judgment tends to decrease more and more.
A professional’s psychological health directly affects the quality of their performance. Therefore, working with what makes us happy, feeling good in an environment and achieving the goals we desire means having quality of life and a free mind to focus on where we want to go, without thinking about other people’s judgment.
5 – Seek guidance.
Talking to a more experienced professional can help you unlock your self-confidence and lose the fear of being judged for your attempts at innovation. Other more experienced professionals have already been through many situations and learned lessons from their mistakes and successes that can serve as guidance for you to grow professionally, without having to face the same obstacles as your colleagues.
The fear of being judged hinders your professional trajectory and should be eliminated from your career as soon as possible. And seeking guidance, in addition to investing in a distance learning postgraduate course , is one of the best tools for achieving this evolution.
Stop being ashamed of yourself and recognize your strengths. To do this, you need to remember situations from the past that led to self-doubt, write down the offensive comments that were most often made to you, and challenge them. You will understand that criticism is often unfounded, and you should not accept it as the truth.