Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Stop Mind Reading

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE9cTS4LMho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRsTYMWyvdc

Stop trying to read minds.
Most relationship problems and associated social anxieties start with bad communication, which in turn leads to attempted mind reading.  Mind reading occurs when two people assume that they know what the other is thinking when they don’t.  This process of wondering and trying to guess what someone is thinking is a rapid route to feelings of insecurity and stress.
If someone says one thing, don’t assume they mean something else.  If they say nothing at all, don’t assume their silence has some hidden, negative connotation.  Likewise, don’t make the people in your life try to read your mind.  Say what you mean and mean what you say.  Give the people in your life the information they need, rather than expecting them to know the unknowable.

It’s also important to remember that you aren’t supposed to know every little thing going on in the minds of others, even the people closest to you.  When you stop trying to read their minds, you really begin to respect their right to privacy.  Everyone deserves the right to think private thoughts.  Constantly asking, “What are you thinking?” can provoke a person to withdraw from a relationship to find space.  
Exercise:
ASK PERMISSION “Can I check out an assumption I have?”
ASK “I think that you think…. Is that correct?”

Dangers of Mind Reading:
• Telling ourselves stories about others that aren’t true.
• Making assumptions without checking them out damages relationships

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