How To Deal With Criticism : 5 effective tips

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read this title?

No one can deny that criticism is a part of our life. Whether they are constructive or destructive, we can get critics from everyone and anyone; from our parents, our friends, our family, our teachers, our boss, etc. Sometimes, if criticism is delivered by someone who genuinely wants the best for you and loves you, it can be a gift. However, constant criticism can be a form of bullying and emotional abuse. But, how to deal with criticism?

If you landed here, then you must be struggling to deal with criticism. But it’s okay, don’t worry, I wrote this article myself so that you will be able to deal with criticism calmly and effectively.

1. Know the difference between constructive and destructive criticism:

“Often people that criticize you are usually the same people that don’t know the price you paid to get where you are today.”

Destructive criticism is designed to point out people’s faults without suggestions for improvement. Most of the time, it is a false judgment that isn’t justified and can hurt people’s self-esteem. Some people criticize and put others down just so they can have the feeling of being superior, so they can hide their own insecurities.

“Fearing criticism is fearing progress”

Constructive criticism is also designed to point out your mistakes, but for the purpose of showing you where and how improvements can be made. Usually easier to accept, constructive criticism allows you to improve and grow. 

2. Know yourself more:

“If you know yourself, you will not be harmed by what is said about you.”

You can’t control what other people will say about, what they think of you. But you can control how you see yourself and what you think about yourself.

So first, you must clarify your intentions, your goals, and your purpose. You must know what you want in life, who you are when you are sad, when you are happy…. You should also learn how to point out to your own mistakes before someone else does it.

3. Don’t take criticism too personally:

“Your value does not decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth”

Often, we tend to have a quick, emotional reaction to criticism. But let me remind you that people who judge you and criticize you will always find a reason to project their insecurities, their negativity, and their fears onto you and your life. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them. They criticize others out of jealousy, to elevate their own self-worth and to hide their lack of self-confidence. The best way to deal with people who criticize you because of a bad intention is to confront them and let them know that you are aware of the bad intentions behind their critics. But never turn defensive or try to give explanations for your actions.

4. Ignore it:

 “Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” ~Aristotle

No matter what you do, how good of a person you are, there will be always some people who criticize and judge you. There will be always some people (AKA haters) who something negative to say about you. Usually, the haters simply criticize and move on. And that means that you can safely ignore them and continue doing your thing. So the most important thing to do is simply be who you really are, make the choices that are right for you. People will criticize you either way, so just ignore them.

Check out my post on how to stay positive every single day

5. Embrace it:

“You can either be judged because you created something or ignored because you left your greatness inside of you.”

I know what are you thinking right now : How can I embrace something negative and bad ?

As human beings, we grow by learning from bad experiences. Constructive and destructive criticism allows us to improve and develop our personalities and our competencies. So embrace it by considering it as a tool to more effectively create the tomorrow you visualize.