BREAKING NEWS: IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF

It took me so long to work this out, but the desire to make everyone like me was for many years the biggest driving thought at the heart of my struggle with social anxiety.

I wish I could tell you the exact moment that my understanding shifted, but unfortunately, it didn’t just hit me like a thunderbolt one day.

The truth slipped into my awareness over a good few years: the realisation that no matter what I do or say, some will like me and some won’t, and ultimately their opinion, either way, doesn’t define me or dictate how I feel about myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not immune to the comments of those who's opinion I value, but I no longer hang my self-esteem on the approval of others.

I still like being liked, but the judgement of others no longer dictates how I judge myself.

So, apologies if this is old news to some, but at some point, it was breaking news to me: it doesn’t matter what other people think of you.

It really doesn’t.