We are constantly surrounded by opinionated people either in our house or in the workplace. We cannot change that. Everyone who knows you at some level have some opinion about you right on top of their head or if asked they can surely come up with something. This can be a nice thing or something that isn't so pleasant. Critical comments usually does not mean much if suppose a stranger says it on the roadside out of blue but if same thing is said by someone close, someone you love, it can be so hurtful.
This can come as an honest help from that person to allow good changes in your life and help you to reach your potential that even you can't see. It firstly requires an extreme amount of closeness to the person you are to to feel comfortable to even pass that critical comment. It can be your mother or husband or even your kid. Even if the motive is purely to be honest and helpful it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt us because usually we become focused on making those we love happy and satisfied but when they return it with an overly critical comment it can break our hearts.
To combat this firstly, we have to accept the fact that these comments are not the entire definition of our existence and doesn't prophesize how our life will be. It can be merely based on few hours of observation or even said in heat of the moment. The truth and that is the ultimate truth is known by no one but you. You know if the words that are spoken are true or not. Our ego may get into the way and our guards go up that says "No, I am not like this. This person is just attacking me". This is a normal reaction that so many of us have because we are made in a way that we protect our feelings and ourselves. This guard and defense system we have can blurry our vision to take a step back and self analyze on how we are, how we spend the 24-hours in a day that God so graciously and equally gave all of us. You and I are the only people who understand our own selves the best. We know what we do every second of the day. We know how we function, what we feel about our day or about someone else. If you can read and understand this, I am pretty sure you also know the difference between the right and wrong. Another persons' criticism may linger in your mind for what a day or 2 or a week at best then you would forget it. Therefore, it is so important to realize honestly and unegositically if the criticism must be taken positively and changes should be made in your life or if the comment was just bogus. The faster we analyse, the less time we spend being unnecessarily sad or bitter and more time is spent on self improvement.
There are some overly critical extremely hard to please people out there and there always will be one. Sometimes, you are even married to one. It can be extremely hard to not stand up for yourself and defend yourself every time what you did wrong is picked on but what you do well is just looked over. Most of us have unending thirst for those praises but when met with criticism it just takes a toll on our whole perception of ourselves or our relationship with that person. When this happens, it is so hard to bite back your tongue and hold those nasty things you can say just to hurt the other person but it is necessary because we gave a chance to that person to be critical of us. WE gave the chance and just through improving that situation in future we snatch back that chance. Although, living with someone who just finds bad in everything you do is a whole new story. There is firstly not a problem in you but most likely that bitter person is just an unsatisfied sad soul. These situation where you feel trapped with a person who puts you down and never appreciates you is a HUGE walking talking RED FLAG because there is no way in heavens that someone who truly loves you would ever put you through that turmoil.
Might as well take that stand, tell them off and stand your ground. Sometimes holding on too long can hurt you a lot more than just letting go of the person or that relationship.
