Have you ever felt a sense of anxiety over someone else’s opinion, as if you feared it would somehow hurt you?
Have you ever felt a strong need to defend yourself against negative feedback, as if you couldn’t relax until you cleared things up?
Or how about this: Have you ever been so busy responding to criticism that seemed destructive that you didn’t have time to consider if there was something constructive in it?
The reality is we all judge and criticize, if not publically, than in our heads. It’s a natural human instinct to form opinions about things. Hopefully, we have the tact to not to be cruel, but it will happen to all of us from time to time. Usually, it will only be as disastrous as we make it.
It never feels comfortable to be critiqued, especially if someone attacks your character or clearly misjudges your intentions. But we make the best use of our energy if we look for positive takeaways, and then challenge the voice inside that says, “Something is wrong.”
Nothing’s wrong, so long as we learn, respond calmly, and move on, feeling balanced and empowered.