We live in a society that is increasingly reactionary. We are encouraged to have strong, intense opinions and to defend what is “right”. We live in a society that has become polarized, and in which we must “pick sides”. We live in a society that values making quick decisions and rushing into action. Our news programs are often round tables in which people interrupt each other in order to express their very important opinions on a variety of subjects.
One simple way to banish anxiety is to …stop judging.
Stop trusting in your own judgment!
Be willing to believe that you are not always right, that you don’t know everything. This new habit will not turn you into a doormat. It will not make you inconsequential or weak. It will help you have peace within your own heart and also peace with other people. Sometimes we have to judge. Our minds are always evaluating something. Decide to practice NOT evaluating and NOT judging unless absolutely necessary. Judging as little as you possibly can will help you develop detachment. The more you practice detachment, the less you will feel anxiety. Is it necessary for you to judge your spouse on those extra ten pounds? Is it necessary for you to judge your relative because (s)he said something politically incorrect? Is it necessary for you to judge yourself because your house wasn’t perfect when your in-laws dropped by? Our training may tell us YES! We should have a judging response to all of these scenarios. But ask yourself if it really is necessary? Where does all this judgment take you? Will your spouse lose the ten pounds because you tell him/her to? Will your relative change his/her understanding of things? Would you be a better person if your house was perfect at all times?
Allow yourself not to know, not to have all the answers, not to judge. See if peace doesn’t take the place of anxiety.