It’s simple to take someone else’s disrespect or poor treatment personally, to blame yourself, and believe that you somehow contributed to the situation. Taking things personally causes constant, unnecessary self-evaluation and emotional exhaustion that drains your energy.
Reflection differs from taking things personally all the time; one is beneficial and encourages self-improvement, and the other is the exact opposite. When you don’t take things personally, you have greater control over how you react, your emotions, and your energy level. Here are some suggestions for avoiding personal attacks:
Put aside the concern for what others may think
It doesn’t matter what other people think or say about you. You should only be concerned with how you perceive yourself and the opinions of those close to you and who truly care about you. People offering their opinions on you, whether they are strangers or friends, have nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. Their opinions of you are only a reflection of themselves. You will feel more liberated and possess a stronger sense of self the sooner you stop caring what other people think.
Realize your worth
When you are aware of and comfortable with who you are, you won’t care about what others say about you. Everything else—your accomplishments, relationships, and capacity to persevere in the face of adversity—is based on your self-worth and confidence. The best effort you can make for yourself is to build on your self-worth and confidence. The benefits will become apparent in both your personal and professional life.
Set things aside
Reframe difficult events as lessons on how to be stronger and better handle difficult circumstances. Avoid letting them make you upset or resentful; instead, use them to improve yourself and keep on with your life. When you cling to pain, you hurt yourself more than the other person. Learn to let things go to create more space for happiness, growth, and joy.
Fill your schedule
It might be challenging to find time to consider other people and what they might be thinking if you are busy. Your life should be filled with loved ones, friends, and fulfilling employment; set priorities accordingly. Most likely, you won’t think about those who are criticizing and casting judgment on you if your mind is busy doing something else.
Don’t descend
The worst response to someone treating you disrespectfully is to respond with more venom. Avoid going down the rabbit hole and contributing to the issue. Although it might be satisfying at the time, you’ll probably look back on it and regret it. Choose the moral path, and let it wash away. Don’t get down on their level!
You might not always be as polished as you’d like to be and have no control over how other people choose to view you, but you are always in control of how you choose to conduct yourself. Learn to put yourself first, build your self-worth and confidence and constantly practice these behaviors. If you do, you’ll be able to produce enough behavioral evidence to change your opinion of yourself and stop being so obsessed with personalization or mind-reading.
