The criticism can be different: useful and offensive, inadequate and justified. And for many people, the question of perceiving such a foreign opinion is very acute. It is especially difficult to experience statements from the outside towards creativity, work, appearance or anything else that can be vulnerable, impressionable, those who already have unstable self-esteem. How can one learn to accept criticism more easily?
It is important to learn to separate from emotions the basic essence hidden in criticism. Very often, if comments and statements are harsh or voiced at a time when a person does not expect this, an extremely strong emotional reaction can follow. Internal feelings, the protest that arises usually do not allow us to discern a rational link within the received criticism. Therefore, it is not necessary at the first moment to somehow try to answer or immediately begin to blame yourself and additionally criticize. You must give yourself the opportunity to cool down, digest what you hear. This step is especially important for impressionable and naturally very emotional people. Sometimes, even behind offensive statements, there is a certain truth, which is worth listening to, sorting out your inner protest. In order to calm the raging feelings, it is recommended for a while to switch your attention vector to a different topic, to be distracted and concentrate on some side task. Walking in the air, music, reading help some people to calm their emotions.
Only react to criticism expressed by authoritative personalities. In everyday life and in the space of the Internet, you can encounter completely different people. And very often what is conventionally called criticism, in fact, is network trolling, the desire to really hurt or offend. Often people who allow themselves inappropriate statements about another person try to assert themselves in this way. This must always be remembered. It is worth accepting and pondering other people's criticisms if they are received from a person who appears to be authoritative or is an expert, a professional in a particular field. So, for example, it is worth listening to the comments and advice of loved ones, parents, friends.
It is necessary to reduce the requirements for oneself. It is very difficult to fulfill this condition for people prone to "excellent student syndrome, " to perfectionism. However, you need to work on yourself in this area. Otherwise, you can quickly come to a state of emotional burnout or even face a complete depression. A person is not able to be good for everyone and everyone. It is important to accept the fact that in life there will always be someone better, more capable, that in the professional sphere or in the field of creativity there will always be people who have more experience, who are better able to pump their skills. Increased demands on oneself will not only not allow us to adequately and calmly respond to criticism from the outside. This trait will also encourage additional self-criticism of oneself, scolding oneself for mistakes and failures, not allowing you to learn from your mistakes. The life of any person consists of ups and downs, this must be understood and accepted. It is important to learn to praise yourself even for small achievements and look a little easier at the outside world. Changing the perception of someone else’s assessment is a necessary step to be more calm about any criticism. In the end, you should always remember that each person has his own taste, his own preferences.
Analysis of the resulting criticism and identification of the basis. So that comments from outside are not perceived as something extremely negative, do not underestimate motivation for action and development, we must learn to find the main essence in the criticism we receive. It is worth asking yourself, for what purpose did this or that person speak out? What exactly are capable of giving his advice? What will happen if you listen to the comments, if you follow the advice? Do not look for excuses for yourself or try to immediately defend yourself, somehow sharply react to a critical remark. It is very likely that an accidental or authoritative critic did not want to offend at all, that all the words were voiced only with the purpose of helping development. If the analysis fails to find the main essence, that is, an occasion to think about whether it is worth listening to such criticism, whether it was really expressed with a desire to help and advise something, to point out those mistakes, which will help to achieve some new ones heights.