Life will give you chances where you get to know yourself a little more. You will find yourself differently each time because every circumstance in life demands a new version of yourself. Criticisms are a part of the journey of life.

Pretty much every human being, at some point in their lives, has been criticised either in a professional way or in an insulting tone. Sometimes it is really difficult to accept, but it is the way we respond to the situation that makes a difference in our lives.

If we positively use criticism instead of getting depressed and anxious, we will only improve in the game of life. So read till the end to know about the hacks of handling criticism like a professional.

What is Criticism?

Criticism is the action of expressing disapproval or judging something or someone. There are two types of criticisms :

• Constructive Criticism:

Constructive criticism the kind of comments or judgments given to you for pointing out your mistakes so that you can improve in a better version of yourself. Example – Statements like, ” your assignment sucks gotta work hard”.

These kinds of criticisms should be taken as feedback instead of getting anxious or sad because an individual who accepts his mistake and moves on is always successful.

• Destructive Criticism:

These are malicious, hurtful comments, judgments just arising due to thoughtlessness or personal conflict of the person who is criticising. Example – Statements like, ” Your voice is so bad, you look ugly “.

This is challenging and often creates negative self-pride, anger, lower confidence, and self-esteem. You always have to remember the fact that any fool can insult you, judge you, hurt you, it is because of their insecurities.

Its nothing about you, it’s about them. It takes a lot of self-understanding and self-control to be balanced in such situations.

How To Handle Criticism In A Positive Way?

Think again about the meaning of criticism

Whenever you are being criticised, always remember the purpose of criticism and either it is constructive or destructive. Accept the constructive one since it will only help you grow and don’t give any importance to the destructive one instead respond professionally with a critic by staying calm and just returning in spite of reacting out of temper.

Practice self-love

This is a pro tip that will help you deal with any situation. Since childhood, society teaches us that self-love is arrogance but according to me, its the only way we accept ourselves unconditionally. When we accept both our talents and flaws, it is easier to handle criticisms since we know ourselves fully and we are working on it.

Respond, don’t react

We often have a habit of responding since our defence mechanism gets active while hearing criticisms. Use the 17-second pause method. Instead of acting suddenly, pause for roughly 17 secs or more to gather up and collect all your thoughts to process the criticism and respond in a polished manner.

No matter how harsh the criticism is if you respond instead of getting angry, the critic will understand you can handle immense pressure and can never be broken no matter what.

You will only move upward; there is no way downward for you again because everything teaches you something new about yourself.

If you feel you are losing control over yourself and cannot stay calm, feel free to leave the situation and take as much time required to gather yourself up and speak out. Always remember you are essential, not them.

Take back your power

Be grateful to the critique and thank them for their criticisms along with your authentic comments. Thanking the critic and staying calm always agitates the critique and will give you more power and stability in that situation.

Focus on the problem, not the person

No matter whatever the criticism is all about, always focus on the issue or situation and not on the person who is criticising. This helps you make decisions and respond more precisely. Stick to I-statements to take control of the situation and avoid confrontations.

Positively insert negative comments

Example: if someone says that “you are incapable or you are ugly”, instead of reacting to that you can say negative comments in a positive way like ” It requires enough talent to understand my capability!” or “it requires a beautiful vision to recognise true beauty!” This instantly confuses the critic, and it takes time for the person to respond. The critic will think twice before criticising you the next time.

Accept your mistakes

Every one of us makes mistakes, it is quite natural to fail, but when you accept your failures and mistakes, you only evolve into a better version of yourself.

It is easy for the people to blame you for your faults, but if you accept the blame and work on yourself, that is the best way to shut the mouth of the critics. Sometimes action speaks more than words.

STAYING POSITIVE WHILE YOU ARE BEING CRITICIZED

Criticisms are just opinions that are never a truth; it is harmless unless we believe in them. The first thing you have to understand is that not everyone is going to like you. Everyone has their own opinion. Their opinions don’t dictate your future.

Neither their words become true for you. Criticisms are the most ancient activity embedded in our culture. There will be people who want to hug you for who you are; there will be people who want to slap you, there will be people who will bring out the best in you and again there will be people who will criticise you due to their insecurities and jealousy. You have to accept this fact wholeheartedly.

Here acceptance is the critical factor; if you accept the fact and cherish your life with the right people you have beside you, your life will become different.

I understand its more comfortable to say than being done in reality, but you always have to take risks and try something new to be the best version of yourself.

Always remember the fact ” You are important not them.” If we practice the above steps, it will help us to stay happy and decisive even in the toughest situations. I hope you have a fantastic day ahead. Thank you for reading until the end.