Today's Practice

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Day 1: Why Criticism Hurts

Before we can handle criticism well, we need to understand why it triggers us. Today, we'll explore your automatic reactions and what's really happening beneath them.

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Breathing (3 min)

Ground yourself first

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Reflection (5 min)

Map your triggers

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Practice (2 min)

Reframe one criticism

Quick Tools

Your 21-Day Journey

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Week 1: Understanding

Days 1-7 · Why criticism hurts & your patterns

Day 1:Why criticism triggers you - map your emotional reactions

Day 2:The difference between feedback and attack

Day 3:Your defensive patterns (fight, flight, freeze)

+ 4 more days

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Week 2: Building Skills

Days 8-14 · Practical response techniques

Day 8:The 3-second pause before responding

Day 9:Active listening without defensiveness

Day 10:Asking clarifying questions instead of arguing

+ 4 more days

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Week 3: Mastery

Days 15-21 · Real-world practice

Day 15:Handling public criticism gracefully

Day 16:Separating your worth from your work

Day 21:You as a feedback-resilient professional

+ 4 more days

What You'll Master

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Emotional Regulation

Stay calm when criticism arrives. Pause before reacting. Choose your response instead of being hijacked.

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Active Listening

Hear feedback without filtering through defensiveness. Extract the useful parts even from harsh delivery.

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Response Scripts

Ready phrases for tough moments. Professional responses that acknowledge feedback without agreeing blindly.

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Growth Mindset

See feedback as data, not verdict. Use criticism as fuel for improvement rather than proof of inadequacy.

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Why Handling Criticism Matters

Defensiveness doesn't protect you - it isolates you. When you can receive criticism without collapsing or attacking, you become someone people trust with honest feedback. That's how you grow.

✓70% of workplace conflicts stem from poor feedback handling

✓People who handle criticism well get promoted faster

✓Accepting feedback is a learnable skill, not a personality trait