Is it possible that you tend to interpret ambiguous information negatively? Why is that?

Do you judge yourself harshly and you just assume that others will judge you harshly too?

Do you subconsciously feel that you are not worthy of respect and adoration so you hear things that aren’t even there?

Do you have a sensitivity to criticism from something in your past? Were you constantly belittled or blamed?

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The first thing is to recognize that you may be acutely sensitive to people’s words and you may be interpreting them differently than was intended.

When you do hear words that sounds like criticism to you, ask yourself if the context truly calls for a critique or is it possible that you are misinterpreting their words. You may also run the words by someone else to get their insights.

Lastly, there is no rule that you have to react to any one’s words, especially if they are triggering to you. You really don’t have to let the other person know how you are feeling every time. For starters, when you do react, you are giving the comment more life and energy than it would have had if you just shrugged it off. Additionally, some people say things just to get a reaction, don’t give it to them.

Sometimes, the criticism is indeed warranted and it is worthwhile to take heed.