Hey champ,
Something that people often ask me is if I notice people staring at me, and what I do about it.
Yeah, I do notice people looking at me and there are a few techniques I use to stop them.
- I look at them in the eye and smile. If they’re close enough, I’ll say, ‘”Gday mate, how you going?”. This puts them on the back foot and lets them know that I know they’re staring.
- With kids, they’re insatiably curious. I find playing a game with kids a great way to break the ice and interrupt the stares. When I walked the Kokoda Track, I had running races against the local kids. In Peru, I took a soccer ball and played with them. In Australia, when friends come round and their kids are a bit curious, we’ll play hide ‘n seek around the house.
- I remind myself that they’re probably just curious, and they’re not trying to hurt my feelings.
- I fake confidence – I pull my shoulders back and walk tall, make eye contact (if you struggle with this, try to make a point of noting the colour of people’s eyes).
- I remind myself that I’m human, and I’m evolutionarily wired to feel bad and self-conscious when I feel like I’m not fitting in.
- Finally, I remind myself that most people are pretty wrapped up in their own lives and their own problems. They’re usually too busy to really care about your insecurities!
So, that’s my little arsenal of stare-stopping techniques!
If you find yourself feeling self-conscious about your appearance or think people are staring at you, give some of these techniques a go!
Turia xx
