Anxiety 😰 is a word we hear everywhere these days. I see influencers talking about it, young people sharing their struggles, and even my own child has spoken about it. That’s a far cry from when I was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, when “anxiety” was something you might hear on a soap opera 🎭, often attached to a rich woman clutching her pearls in distress. Now, it’s in the mouths of everyday people, affecting those from all walks of life.

I’m not here to dismiss it—quite the opposite. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more compassionate ❤️, more understanding of how the world has changed. The pressures are different. The information highway 🌐 has exposed us to things we were blissfully unaware of in past generations. It’s like Pandora’s Box 📦—once opened, there’s no going back. Social media 📱, constant news cycles 📰, and comparison culture have amplified our awareness of how we measure up (or think we don’t) to others. It’s no wonder anxiety has skyrocketed 🚀.

But I had an epiphany 💡 about this. I was meditating 🧘🏾‍♀️ on anxiety and realized something: is it really about what’s happening to us, or is it about what we think people think of us? Anxiety often stems from worrying about what others will say about what we’ve done, what we haven’t done, how we look, how we move through the world 🌎. But here’s a paradox that might help you reframe this:

Have you ever noticed that when you’re doing something wrong ❌, it feels like everyone is watching? Your heart races 💓, you feel eyes on you 👀, and you think, I’m going to get caught. But when you do something right ✅, when you make a good choice, when you strive to be better—where are all those eyes then? Why does it seem like no one is watching when we do the right thing? Why do we have to shout, “Look at me!” 📣 to get any recognition?

If that’s the case, then how can both ideas exist at the same time? If people aren’t noticing when we do something good, why are we walking around anxious that they’re scrutinizing our every move? And even if they are watching—does it really matter? 🤷🏾‍♀️

🏺 A Parable for Perspective:

There was once a young man who walked through a village carrying a pot filled to the brim with water 💧. The village elder told him that if he could walk across town without spilling a drop, he would be rewarded. The young man focused with all his might, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, oblivious to the people he passed. He made it across the village and returned to the elder, victorious.

The elder asked, “Did you notice who laughed at you? Who whispered about you? Who praised you?”

The young man shook his head. “No, I was too focused on my pot of water.”

The elder smiled. “And that is how you must walk through life.”

💡 A Truth You Must Embrace:

MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT THINKING ABOUT YOU! 🤯 This is not meant to be cruel. People are self-focused. They’re consumed with their own thoughts, their own worries, their own struggles. We spend so much time anxious about what others think, when in reality, they’re not thinking about us at all. They’re carrying their own pots of water.

So let me leave you with this: walk through life like the young man in the parable. Focus on your own path 🛤️, not the eyes that may or may not be watching. Because at the end of the day, the only opinion that truly matters about your journey—is yours. 💖

🔥 Call to Action: Put This to the Test

Over the next few days, do small, unsung acts of kindness 🌱:

• Put away someone else’s shopping cart 🛒
• Add money to an expired parking meter ⏳
• Pick up trash that you didn’t drop 🗑️

Notice what happens. Does anyone stop to applaud you? 👏🏾 Probably not. But if you did something wrong, chances are people would be quick to point it out. That’s because when people highlight bad behavior, they’re often shining a light on themselves, not you. It’s about their own recognition, their own validation. 💭

This realization is freeing. ✨ If people are so focused on themselves, then what’s the point of letting their judgment—or your fear of their judgment—control you? Live your life. Do good things because they align with who you are, not because you need acknowledgment. When you stop worrying about invisible eyes, you’ll find peace 🕊️ in walking your own path. 🚶🏾‍♀️