Eye contact!
I was raised, as many of us were, to believe that making eye contact was a necessity for social survival - if you didn't make it you were either untrustworthy or not listening to the other person.
I spent years wondering if everyone else felt as much discomfort as me, sometimes even a burning sensation.
I spent hours in front of the mirror trying to practise.
I spent many interactions wondering, "Am I doing this right? Is this enough? too much? Do I look trustworthy? What is their eye contact telling me?" and the whole time unable to actually listen to the person in front of me.
Thinking back to yesterday's post on double empathy, are we ready to accept that eye contact mat not be the reliable way to tell if someone is listening to you or if they are trustworthy? That there are different ways of communicating and interacting that are equally as valid?