Negative criticism, or evaluation, is among the worst of all fears.
It is its own terrible form of anxiety and tears apart our self-esteem and well-being. Like an infection, this fear may spread to other areas of our lives as if our friends, coworkers, and even strangers will see the possible “truths” of these criticisms and prove the naysayers right.
The fact is, everyone has an opinion, and those aren’t facts. We can take better control over our inner landscape and allow more of what appears as constructive criticism to be internalized instead, though some of it may be hard to hear.
We can worry so much about how we’ll be perceived and received that we go down the dark path of becoming our own harshest critics in hopes that we can spot our faults and correct them before others do. This quickly becomes an exercise in futility because there is just no pleasing everyone. And why are we not pleased about ourselves? External validation is like building your esteem as a house of cards.
We can however escape from others by detaching from social media, withdrawing from society, and seeking refuge in the far nooks of nature beyond civilization. We may soon find that life demands our return, though staying off social media might be one of the healthier choices you make. While it is one possible solution, removing yourself from various social contexts may be cutting you out of your own life until there is only you—someone you may not want to be with alone.
