Hi Villagetunic

I think criticism is everywhere but it doesn’t need to be a bad thing. People have opinions. You have agency to decide if you agree with the person or not. To decide if you do agree with the feedback and what to do about it.

If I feel hurt by feedback, I think about what my interactions and the general behaviour of that person are like. Overall, if my relationship is good with the person, it helps to see that their intent is good and it helps me to consider what they have said without being defensive. If the relationship is not good because the person has behavioural issues then the feedback really says more about that person than it does about me. Of course, everyone has a bad day. Being able to talk about hurt feelings and the willingness to apologize is a good trait in healthy relationships. It depends what your relationships with those people are like.

Another thing that I like to practice is emotional regulation when my feelings have been hurt. Keeping busy is helpful because you don’t have the time to ruminate over problems. Journaling to address the feelings and meditation I find helpful too.