I helped myself by reminding myself that what I think others think is not the same as what they actually think; I can't know what another thinks unless I ask them. And, if it's another person I don't know or who does not know me, it gets a shrug because their opinion isn't that important; yes it might feel bad in the short run but if I don't see them often or expect to ever again (think people in traffic who don't like your driving) I can get over that bit of feeling bad so it doesn't "stick". However, if it's a family member or friend with an opinion about me, I have to remember that I'm the expert on me, not them, they can't be inside me or know what I've experienced. Too, that's why I'm in therapy in the first place, to work on those problems. Whether or not you "should" feel a certain way or whether other people's idea of what is a bad enough experience to make you feel how you feel, you DO feel how you feel and don't want to feel like that so are in therapy to get yourself help; if others don't want you to feel good about yourself, that would make me angry, not afraid? If a person is not "for" you feeling better, why consider their opinions; they're not on your "side".