“I’m scared of getting critiques for my work.”
Have you ever felt this way before? I have.
I remember being afraid of what my teachers would say about my essay or what people online would say about my stories.
Whether online or in person, sharing your work can be intimidating.
Your feelings are valid. I believe most of us, if not all, have felt scared of our work being evaluated. But guess what? Whether you like it or not, criticism is a part of life. It’s going to follow wherever you go.
Here’s how you can ease or conquer the fear of criticism.
Know the root cause of your fear.
What exactly are you afraid of? Are you anxious about how people are going to react or what they’re going to say? If you’re writing for a class, are you fearful of your work having a failing grade? If you’re writing online, are you scared of being laughed at or hated on? If you write for work, are you terrified your boss will fire you? Whatever it is, try to talk with a person about it, maybe even your critic. They may not soften their tone, but hopefully, they might understand.
Know that it’s meant to strengthen you.
Criticisms can be hard to get through, but if they’re meant well, they can help you grow, even if the words come off as harsh.
Try to understand the critic’s intentions.
If their motives are only to help you improve, try to relax. If their motives are only to tear you down, try not to let them get to you. If they go too far, then you should respectfully confront them or, at best, ignore them.
Don’t avoid criticism.
Trying to steer clear from feedback can only hold you back from what you’re trying to achieve. You can’t escape it, anyway. At some point in our lives, we will be critiqued no matter what. So, we might as well face it.
Don’t take it personally.
If the review evaluates your work, know the person is not critiquing you personally, but your work. Yes, you created the piece, but the critic isn’t exactly scrutinizing you but the content of your work.
Conclusion
So, if you’re dealing with fear of criticism, you know you’re not alone. The next time you feel that anxiety, remember that understanding the reason for your fear is crucial, the critiques can help you improve, discerning your critic's motives is important, avoiding helpful critiques does nothing ,and taking the words with a grain of salt is essential.
Trust me, receiving critiques won’t be so bad. It will help you in the long run. So, embrace them! And even if you get rejected, you can always try again and do better next time.
Thanks for reading!
Hope this helps!
Bye!
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