Home Menu

Menu



advertisement
Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
Anonymous200250
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Nov 17, 2015 at 03:31 PM
  #1
How does a person learn to not take what people say personally and not harbor other people's opinions?
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Thanks for this!
littleowl2006, vonmoxie, x123

advertisement
Skeezyks
Disreputable Old Troll
 
Skeezyks's Avatar
 
Member Since Oct 2015
Location: The Star of the North
Posts: 32,762 (SuperPoster!)
8
17.4k hugs
given
Smile Nov 17, 2015 at 04:07 PM
  #2
Hello CaramelSkky: Well... this is an excellent question. I've always been exquisitely sensitive to what others say. Any little slight tends to just cut me to the quick, as the saying goes. And I also tend to ruminate on such things to excess. To some extent, I find that I just have to wait & allow whatever it is that was said to slowly dissipate over the course of a day or two. Knowing that this is what will typically happen does seem to help somewhat. I also try to see such events as being opportunities to learn something about myself. In other words I try to be a "student of myself". What is it about what was said that has affected me? How might I have handled the situation differently? How might I handle a similar situation differently in the future? And then, beyond that, I simply try to accept whatever has occurred. As my Signature quote below says: "In other traditions, demons are expelled externally. But in my tradition, demons are accepted with compassion." My best wishes to you...

__________________
"I may be older but I am not wise / I'm still a child's grown-up disguise / and I never can tell you what you want to know / You will find out as you go." (from: "A Nightengale's Lullaby" - Julie Last)
Skeezyks is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Thanks for this!
vonmoxie, x123
x123
Veteran Member
 
x123's Avatar
 
Member Since Jul 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 738
9
159 hugs
given
Default Nov 17, 2015 at 05:04 PM
  #3
That's a great topic. I'm also sensitive. Usually I assume complements are insincere, but I take criticisms personally. I saw a psychologist on TV say that when an immature person is criticized he/she asks the other person why the criticism is justified. A mature person simply ignores the criticism. I don't know. Probably that isn't a helpful observation.

I saw a Buddhist monk who said that the old saying "learn from your mistakes" is wrong. Most experts say we can learn more from our successes than we can from our mistakes, and focusing on mistakes makes us discouraged and depressed.

For me personally, I have simply gotten older. Criticism hurts less after the umpteenth time.
x123 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Thanks for this!
*Laurie*, vonmoxie
vonmoxie
deus ex machina
 
vonmoxie's Avatar
 
Member Since Jul 2014
Location: Ticket-taking at the cartesian theater.
Posts: 2,379
9
399 hugs
given
Default Nov 17, 2015 at 06:16 PM
  #4
One thing I remind myself of is that the things a person says often say much more about them, than about anyone they may be implicating. What I try to do is feel compassion for them, for whatever it is that may be causing them to be narrow-minded. Sometimes I try to help them with it, or to help them to see things in a manner that allows for a greater collective understanding.. in the kindest and/or funniest way I can, so that even if it's against their default will they can potentially receive some element of positivity from my communication.

Not saying it always works. But I find if I keep my aim steady, and focus on the hits, I don't worry about the misses as much.

__________________
“We use our minds not to discover facts but to hide them. One of things the screen hides most effectively is the body, our own body, by which I mean, the ins and outs of it, its interiors. Like a veil thrown over the skin to secure its modesty, the screen partially removes from the mind the inner states of the body, those that constitute the flow of life as it wanders in the journey of each day.
Antonio R. Damasio, “The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness” (p.28)
vonmoxie is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Thanks for this!
x123
Anonymous37784
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Nov 17, 2015 at 07:52 PM
  #5
whoa... this is me.

I read a whole lot into things and always misconstrue people's intent.
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
shatteredexistence
Member
 
Member Since Sep 2015
Location: Lost in myself
Posts: 43
8
22 hugs
given
Default Nov 17, 2015 at 09:09 PM
  #6
I've been trying to get over this for years.
shatteredexistence is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Thunder Bow
Elder
 
Thunder Bow's Avatar
 
Member Since Sep 2012
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,630
11
3 hugs
given
Default Nov 18, 2015 at 03:42 PM
  #7
Never take bullying personally, for it is all about control. Accusations are about control. Judgments are about ignorance.

I am assuming you are speaking of negative comments by angry people.
Thunder Bow is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
littleowl2006
Member
 
littleowl2006's Avatar
 
Member Since Aug 2015
Location: up in a tree
Posts: 464
8
395 hugs
given
Default Nov 18, 2015 at 05:39 PM
  #8
Let me know when you found the answer
Usually I draw a line between positive criticism and control/bullying. But it also depends on who is criticising.
If I know the reasons for what I did, it is easier to hear what other people think of my actions.
Maybe there is a grain of truth in every subjective opinion, not more and not less.
Criticism can also be a defense mechanism of a hurt ego. (I try to think of that when my mom attacks me) - It still hurts and I am too sensitive, too.
littleowl2006 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Anonymous200250
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Nov 18, 2015 at 07:18 PM
  #9
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunder Bow View Post
Never take bullying personally, for it is all about control. Accusations are about control. Judgments are about ignorance.

I am assuming you are speaking of negative comments by angry people.
Yes, and also people who try playing mind games via manipulation, gas lighting, etc.
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
*Laurie*
Account Suspended
 
Member Since Jan 2015
Location: California Uber Alles
Posts: 9,150 (SuperPoster!)
9
5,382 hugs
given
Default Nov 18, 2015 at 08:04 PM
  #10
I try not to take things personally by reminding myself that the stuff people say is almost always far more about them than it is about me. And that's really the truth.
*Laurie* is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply
attentionThis is an old thread. You probably should not post your reply to it, as the original poster is unlikely to see it.




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:38 PM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.



 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.