Have you ever been talking to someone and you’re not fully hearing what they’re saying in the moment because you heard them say a particular word or phrase and your mind started to automatically “classify” what they’ve said into a category?

Assumptions can happen quickly, so they’re tricky to keep track of unless we really assess our thoughts regularly because we can make them in a split second without even knowing it. Assumptions are often unprompted and based on a number of diverse things such as our past experiences in life, people we know like them, our political or religious beliefs, our news and social media feeds, and so much more.

As we’re seeing people throughout the day, whether words are used or not, we’re probably making a whole bunch of assumptions about those people – everything from surface level demographics like their socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, background and upbringing, and their education level. We also might be subconsciously or consciously making assumptions about their philosophies and worldview such as their faith, political orientation, or their stance on social issues. We all have biases – whether we acknowledge them consciously or not. And we all have triggers that create associations with past wounds and hurts.

Listen in as we unpack more on how to navigate assumptions + judgments.

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