4 Reasons We Should Embrace Feedback — Even if it is Criticism
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Let’s be Honest
Being scrutinized never feels good. It can cause you to feel judged, like you’re insufficient, regardless of how enthusiastically you attempt to accept it. Most reactions to criticism are to get defensive, make excuses, or blame someone else. None of those options are especially constructive.
It’s up to you on how to decide to respond to the feedback. Our brains are only wired to see the feedback as an opportunity or as a threat. The word criticism has a negative connotation immediately if you place the discussion or feedback in that category. You can see it as a personal attack, or you can embrace it, extract the positive from it, and move on.
The success and acceptance of delivering the feedback are highly dependent on the degree of trust between the individuals. “Achieving a balance between closeness, distance, and constructive criticism requires openness, courage, and trust on the part of both the researcher and the participants” (Svensson, 2007). If you feel skeptical about criticism having any benefits, here are the four reasons to extract the best out of feedback or criticism:
1. Use Criticism for Personal Growth
Typically, analysis has an excess trace of validity in it, regardless of it being delivered harshly or delicately. That’s partly why it makes you uncomfortable, deep down it rings true, even if you don’t want to admit it.
Consider the analysis as another component in your self-awareness toolbox, one that offers insight you might otherwise miss. If nothing else, observing and managing how you react to criticism can shine a spotlight on your triggers, your unconscious reactions, and assumptions.
2. Develop Your Emotional Resilience
Criticism typically comes loaded down with feelings. Learning to embrace criticism can help you become more emotionally resilient as you learn how to sit with your uncomfortable emotions instead of blindly reacting. The more you listen and accept the input as a gift, the more you will grow. No pain, no gain.
Practicing detachment takes you to a mental place where you can use your analytic…
