“You are not afraid of the dark, you are afraid of what’s in it.” No. You are not afraid of what’s in it. You are afraid of your thoughts telling you what’s in it. You are afraid of your thoughts.
You are bothered by what others think of you. No. You are not bothered by what others think of you. You are bothered by what you think of what others think of you. You are bothered by your thoughts.
Your thoughts affect you because you believe that you are your thoughts. If you can observe your thoughts, you are not your thoughts. If the voice in your head is you, who is it talking to?
If you don’t change the relationship between you and your thoughts, you will continue to be enslaved by your thoughts.
Since energy goes where attention flows, pay less attention to your thoughts and pay more attention to the task at hand or your body’s breathing and sensations.
Inner Practitioner 