Learning to accept criticism from others without it significantly affecting our self-esteem may not be easy at all, and it doesn’t matter if this feedback is from a boss, family or friends.
After all, it is still just another person’s opinion, and even though the truth may be on the side of others, it does not mean that the problem lies only with you. To err is completely human. The important thing is to learn from the mistake and move on. Criticism should thus remain an impulse that moves you forward, it is the driving engine that does not let you rest on your laurels, and not a means that drives you into a rut and negatively affects your entire life.
So how do you stop taking everything personally and learn to see every feedback as something that can be worked with and that you can always form your own attitude towards?
Stop lying to yourself that things are different than they really are
The more you learn to be authentic in your life, accept your decisions and openly admit all your successes and failures, the more you learn to look at many things with perspective and stop drowning in excessive self-criticism.
Don’t be sorry
Even if you do something wrong, face things head on. If you start feeling sorry for yourself, demanding sympathy from others, it will be much more difficult for you to cope with any other problem, as well as unjustified criticism.
It’s not all about you
Any feedback can be personal because it’s about you, so it’s only natural to have some kind of emotional reaction to it. But it is important not to wallow in it for too long and not to waste energy unnecessarily by being angry or condemning yourself.
Therefore, even if you get stuck in the mud, you can always decide to change it. And if it doesn’t work out on the first try, it’s important not to give up and look for other ways to move forward.
